To Be Whole
by TheDrunkenDragon
Summary: Naruto and Tenten are sent off on a three year training mission with a seeming stranger of Konoha. What is their new sensei hiding? How will Naruto and Tenten handle training together away from everything they once knew? NaruTen NarutoxTenten
1. 一

To get a few questions out of the way real fast, let me explain.

1) This is going to be an insanely long story, so don't expect any romance anytime soon. This story is going to well exceed the 100,000 word count. Also, I plan to update every 3-5 days with a new chapter, even if it is not as long as I had originally hoped it would be... just so my faithful readers will not have to wait in dread anticipation for too long.

2) For any of those wondering, no there will not be any lemons. Also, I will not be focusing on any pairing other than Naruto and Tenten.

3) I have tried to stay as close to the plot as possible. This of this as a deviation from the three year training program Naruto went on with Jiraiya. This could have happened. So basically, Where Part Two of the manga starts, I want this to end… except, of course, Naruto and Tenten will end up together… or will they?

4) I just recently went back and edited all of my uploaded chapters. I have no beta (nor do I wish for one). From now on I will edit and such before I ever upload the chapter.

5) Yes there are original characters. And I have invented a past for Tenten, since none is provided. I think you will be happy with it though. Also, if any characters are OOC, I apologize. I have tried to make them stay in character, but the way my mind perceives them is undoubtedly different than your own. That's life.

6) Feel free to review and flame away. Also, this will be the last interruption between the chapters, other than the mandatory 'disclaimer'. I will only interrupt, if it is important, such as an expected delay between chapters.

Now, on with the story…

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter One:**

The sun rose, once again faithful to its duty, and awoke many of the sleepy inhabitants of Konoha. There were those whose first thoughts upon seeing the light of a new day were along the lines of: "Not again…" Then there were the bright and perky people who awoke and greeted the sun with the same vigor they would a new found love. There was even a third category of people… those who enjoyed training so much that they were already awake, aware and ready to go. Oh yeah, then there was Tenten.

You see, Tenten didn't have a good night. Gai and Lee had kept her and Neji out training way later than usual. The two green beasts were leaving for a week-long training mission and wanted to get in one last day with the whole team before heading off. Tenten had a hard enough time dealing with them half the day. After a whole day with them she was tempted to rip them a new one… in the name of youthful fire of course.

Now, Tenten had to go find Neji as they had some small D-class mission to complete. This morning would follow the normal routine: get out of bed and get ready, eat something on the way out, meet Neji at the Hyuuga Residence, walk over to the Hokage Tower to receive their mission details and follow up with the mission with such ease it was insulting that they even were given these low class missions anymore. Neji wouldn't speak the whole time, unless required. He was still disturbed from his fight with the Sound Nin two months ago after Sasuke's defection.

Tenten should be excited about spending a whole week doing missions alone with her crush. No annoying Lee demanding competitions from Neji and no insane Gai demanding that they finish training with flames in their hearts, living out their youth to its fullest… how tired she was of hearing those speeches.

Neji started to come out of his shell more and more lately. He even talked of Naruto on the rare occasion, praising him for his persistence despite circumstances. She had no clue what he was talking about and he would not answer her when she inquired about it. He knew something he wasn't giving onto.

Still, he was most normally the silent rock he had always been. No talking, no socializing, no jokes, no smiles, nothing. At least Lee laughed at Tenten's jokes, but Neji didn't ever give so much as a smirk. She imagined that if she just got closer he would open up completely and pour out his heart to her and she could comfort him and be with him forever, but that day seemed like it would never come. That was the reason that Tenten did not look forward so much to this week. It would only be all the more proof that her silly fantasies were nothing but that… fantasies.

So pulling herself out of bed, Tenten decided that she had just enough time for an insanely quick shower and maybe some tea for the road. Had she have gotten up earlier she would have had time for breakfast, but that was no longer an option.

同时。。。

In an apartment building not as far away as one might think, Naruto was drifting in and out of sleep. Normally, he was a night owl, unbeknownst to many. He trained late into the night and would not wake until late morning or even lunch. In his early days of being a ninja it had been much easier for him to rise early as his body was adapted to this sort of schedule since he had to wake up so early for those years he attended the academy. But as he drifted into his own schedule he found that he was a natural late sleeper. Today seemed to be a bit different though.

There was a feeling that Naruto was addicted to, almost like a drug. In between sleep and consciousness there is a beautiful world that most experience for such a short time that they hardly remember its presence in their day-to-day lives. Naruto however treasured this feeling. He would drift back and forth from sleep to consciousness just to live in this alternate universe. In this place all his dreams could come true and it felt so real that sometimes he would awake and not know what had happened and what had not. It was a little scary, but it was his very temporary escape.

Today Naruto awoke much faster and earlier than he appreciated. There was just this feeling tugging at the back of his brain, just like that feeling of having forgotten an important item on the beginning of a long journey. Perhaps he forgot some meeting today or a mission he had to do, but he could have sworn that today was his day off.

"Meh, its probably nothing. I do know one thing I have forgotten though…. Ramen!" And thus began another day in the life of Naruto.

同时。。。

"Konoha…" He thought out loud. It had been too long since his eyes had looked upon that mountain face with the Hokages and he was curious as to when they would eventually put Tsunade's face up there. Ha, that would be the day.

"How long has it been?"

He honestly could not remember as he continued his akward habit of talking to himself. Typically he knew that he was the stoic, strong but silent type, but after months of having no one to talk to he tended to talk to himself out of boredom or maybe hallucination, he wasn't sure.

"14, 15 years was it?"

He stood at 5' 10". weighing in at a healthy 165lbs he was not a huge man. Still, he was not the type of person you would want to run into alone in a dark alley. His short sleeved black t-shirt clung to his body and showed that he was anything but weak. Over his shirt was what looked like a jounin vest, except it too was stark black. His jeans were torn up to the point that they had more holes than fabric. Still there was enough there to be modest he assumed. Instead of wearing the typical ninja sandals he wore huge black boots with buckles and metal adorning it in an almost sadistic manner (think New Rock Boots). He wore some brown that intermingled with the black leather quite well. His worn out brown belt had seen many countries and years but was still none the worse for the wear. Also his brown fingerless gloves looked as if they had seen their fair share of battles.

His hair was unique in its own way as well. It was short at only two or three inches long, but it was spiked and sticking every which way. It was a brilliant blond with streaks of black and red throughout. High cheekbones and a rugged face led to his neck that showed a mark of unknown consequence. It looked as if he had some sort of seal that had been covered with another, broken and then covered again. It held a gothic look to it and seemed to have leaked down to his left arm. It started at the left side of his neck with the cross looking seal and right below that started a black fire-like tattoo that spread all the way down his left arm to his first knuckle of his fingers. Outlining the entire edge of this black fire was what appeared to be permanent stains of blood dripping off of the fire.

He carried no weapons, only a small bag across his back and a ninja pouch that hung from the back of his belt.

Trudging slowly the gate of Konoha his previous thoughts were interrupted when he was approached by a guard.

"Yo. Are you here for the Icha Icha Convention or am I actually going to have to beat down?"

Now in Kakashi's mind there were really only two types of people in this world: Those that liked Icha Icha Paradise and those who didn't. There was a saying of his that few knew… "Those who do not follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are even lower than trash… but those who do not like Icha Icha are the scum that grows on trash."

"Whoa, didn't know you had become such a pervert there Kakashi. And I thought you were going to be someone for all those younger ninja to look up to."

Kakashi was a little confused but he didn't let it show. Instead he glanced up lazily from his reading and looked a little closer at this stranger in front of him. He didn't appear to be anything special, nor did he strike any memories from Kakashi, so who was this guy?

"Sorry, but do I know you? Or are you just acting familiar?"

The man looked around and the gathering guards and then back at Kakashi. True Kakashi had been young the last time he had seen him, but he was surprised nonetheless that he did not immediately recognize him. Sure he had changed the past few years, but not that much he thought.

"Surely you remember me… Kakashi-chibi."

"What did you call me?" Kakashi's first reaction was to be extremely angry at this person's blatant insult. But then he remembered that he was in fact not short. In fact he was taller than this strange guy in front of him… But that name, it rung a bell in his head. And that is when it hit him.

Kakashi slowly lifted his headband to expose his Sharingan. This alerted the other guards around him as they began fingering their weapons. The man did not move.

"It can't be…" Kakashi mumbled to himself as he dropped his precious book to the floor, its pages hitting the ground and fanning out.

The man continued standing there as a single tear fell down from Obito's Sharingan eye.

"Have you protected Konoha like I asked you Kakashi?"

同时。。。

Neji did not meet her at the Hyuuga Compound gate like he normally did. Instead, a Jounin that she seemed to recognize as Sakura's teacher was leaning against the wall surround the Hyuuga complex.

"Yo."

Tenten hardly responded as she noticed the smut that he was reading. She was shocked he could get away with this and that he was reading such material at such an early hour. It was like a drunk walking into a bar before lunch, it just wasn't healthy.

"Neji is not here. He had some family business to attend to. You are requested at the Hokage tower though, The fifth seems to need your services. "

Ten was at first steaming when she heard that Neji had obviously ditched her. Then she was elated when she heard that Tsunade wanted to talk to her. Her idol, Tsunade, was finally requesting her by name to attend to some matter or another. The only way this could get better is if Neji fell in love with her today. Maybe today wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Upon arriving at the Hokage tower, Tenten tried to talk to Tsunade, but she was in some secret meeting. So of course Tenten found herself sitting in the lobby, with absolutely nothing to do and no idea what was expected of her.

"Oi, your name is Tenten right? Where is fuzzy eyebrows?"

"He is doing some training with Gai." To be honest, Tenten had not spoken to Naruto on many occasions that she could recall. It was not that she thought he was annoying like the rest of the female population, just that her time was divided between training, missions and ogling Neji.

Naruto sat down next to her on the bench outside of the Hokage's office and started snickering to himself.

"What?"

"Hehe, I bet Tsunade got caught sleeping on the job again and Shizune is yelling at her again."

"Naruto no baka!" Tenten whacked Naruto on the head, clearly not happy about something.

"Itai! What was that for?"

"Tsunade is a great ninja. You should not talk about her in such a way. She is amazing, skilled, a Sannin, the first female Hokage, youthful…"

At this Naruto started laughing again and Tenten began to further beat him.

Tenten grunted to herself in grim satisfaction for her release of violence and sat back down as lady like as she dared. At that moment the double doors to the Hokage office opened. Shizune stepped forward and asked Tenten and Naruto to come in.

"Obaa-chan! What the heck did you get me out of bed for so early?!"

Suddenly, the room went from solemn to tense. Shizune backed up away from Tsunade's desk where she had previously been standing. The strange man that Naruto had not noticed earlier had shot up from the guest chair and backed into a corner. Tsunade had a great big vein threatening to pop, right next to the purple diamond on her forehead.

"NARUTO!!"

A giant fist out of nowhere, moving at a speed that would even force the Yellow Flash himself to shake in his sandals, sent Naruto through the doors. Not through the doors mind you, as if they had opened to accommodate his forced fall. No, he went through the doors, leaving a Naruto shaped hole, spiky hair and all.

"Serves you right gaki," Tsunade said now hanging out the window.

Tenten was now rubbing her fist, happy with Tsunade appraising her for her action. It had been her and not Tsunade who reprimanded Naruto this time.

Tenten looked up now, curious as to who the stranger was and why she had been called into this office in the first place. 'Surely this guy wouldn't have anything to do with me. I don't even know him.' But her gut intuition told her otherwise.

Naruto, pulling himself out of the rubble, sporting a nasty bump directly on the top of his head. He then slowly crawled back to the center of the office where Tenten was still standing.

"So, _Tsunade-sama (spoken very sarcastically)_, who is that guy?" Naruto asked while pointing a shaky, yet determined finger at the newcomer.

Jiraiya looked over at Tsunade who proceeded to shake her head and then turned to look at the man and he in turn shook his head as well.

"My name is Shiro Doragon. I am your new sensei."

同时。。。

Tenten had just found her way back to her apartment. Tenten had been in a daze after the meeting and had spent the past two hours just wandering aimlessly throughout Konoha. The news that she had received both shocked her and made her mind work in overtime curious to have more details.

Tsunade had done most of the talking, while the man they now knew as Shiro stood off in the corner, leaning against the wall in a lazy fashion. Tenten had been motionless through the whole thing, until they reached a certain part in the discussion.

She was fine hearing about how strong and amazing this Shiro guy was. She had to admit that he was quite handsome in a rustic, dirty sort of way. He looked like he had been on the road for a long time and some of his clothes, especially his pants were quite threadbare. She would never admit that she was crushing on him the moment she laid eyes on him, but her thoughts would make you think otherwise…

"Look at the butt on that one… wow!" Tenten proclaimed in her mind while gesturing how she would like to squeeze those buns. To which her mind replied:

"Yeah, he must work out." She said this with only a little drool escaping from her slightly agape mouth.

The part that caught her was when they came back to how Shiro was to be her new sensei. This guy didn't look like the weapons specialist type, in fact she didn't see him carrying a single weapon… not even a kunai. How would she even get along with this guy? Still, she was willing to listen to a bit more of the conversation as Tsunade droned on.

"As I was saying… Tenten wipe your mouth… Shiro is a highly trained shinobi. You will be privileged to train under him…"

Even Naruto was sitting silent, studying their new sensei. That does not go to say that he had not let out his fair share of hollers and screams of joy at a new teacher that would make him stronger, but he was sitting rather still in his chair. Well, minus the constant jittering of his legs and scratching the back of his head and punching into the air at certain points in the lecture… ok, so he wasn't so still or quiet, but hey, this is Naruto we are talking about.

"… and wind country. You will depart tomorrow."

'Whoa,' Naruto mentally berated himself. He must have missed something important. He glanced over at Tenten with his goofy smile plastered on his face hoping to save himself the embarrassment in front of the entire group by asking her what had just been said. This was his plan until he saw that Tenten was in some sort of shock. She had dropped the pen she had been fiddling with and stood there with mouth completely open, glancing back and forth from Tsunade, to Shiro, to Naruto and back towards Tsunade.

"Ano, what did you just say?"

"Naruto, you never pay attention. You will be going on a mission with Shiro and Tenten starting tomorrow…"

"Yatta! Mission, mission, mission…"

"For three years."

Naruto stopped mid jump, only to come tumbling onto the ground. It was now his turn to be surprised, but instead of going into a state of shock like his new teammate, he preferred his own method…

"NANI?!"

…insane loudness.

"Hai, hai," spoke Shiro who had remained silent throughout this entire time. "I have to drag your sorry ass around making sure you don't get your little gaki self killed."

"NANI?!"

This was the last thing that Tenten remembered before she found herself ushered out the doors and into the streets of Konoha, with an ANBU escorting Naruto out who was swinging in the air and cursing inappropriately at their new sensei and his lack of manners for future hokages.

Ha, lack of manners, look who is talking kid.

Tenten had been rolling the idea of leaving her home for three years back and forth and back and forth until her brain was simply numb. During her walk she had completely ignored everything around her, finding herself only capable of putting one foot in front of the other as her mind reeled and spun out of control.

Once she did arrive home, she went through a basic cycle:

1. Begin packing her backpack.

2. Realize that she was going to be living with two males, one being Naruto for three years straight.

3. Begin punching her wall and throwing kunai at her closet door.

4. Repeat.

同时。。。

On the other side of the village, in his dilapidated apartment, Naruto was busy stuffing as many ramen cups into his bag as possible. He had already taken out the things that were obviously of much less worth than ramen; things like any other type of food (of course!), soap, pillow, extra clothes, and other stuff… you know, the unnecessary stuff. Naruto was actually proud of himself for not waiting until the last minute to pack and thus rewarded himself by going down to Ichiraku's.

The Ino-Shika-Chou trio were busy arguing at a booth when Naruto arrived. Normally Naruto would go to his favorite seat at the counter of the ramen shop, where he could be immediately serviced without having to wait for Ayame to actually walk the extra ten feet to bring his meal to a booth. But today, he decided that having food literally thrown in his general direction was less important than spending time with people he would not see for a few years. "Man , I sure am mature,' Naruto said as he proceeded to pat himself on the back.

"Hey ya bunch of bakas!"

Ok, maybe mature was pushing it a little… or a lot. Like a sumo wrestler insisting that he needs to watch his figure. Yeah, mature was definitely pushing it.

"Naruto!" Ino had taken a page from Tenten's book and whacked Naruto on the head at her full force, sending him stumbling back into the counter behind.

"…So Troublesome…"

"Oi, Naruto! Let's have an eating contest!" Chouji appeared to be the only enthusiastic one of the bunch concerning Naruto's appearance.

"Sounds like a plan," Naruto plopped himself into the empty seat that happened to be next to Chouji and across from Ino.

"This will be my last time here for… My last time! I didn't even think about that! Oi! I need twelve bowls of miso ramen over here… now!"

"Uhhh, what's going on now Naruto?" Ino never liked to admit that she was confused about anything, but that was difficult while having the lazy genius on her team.

"Oh that. I'm going on some training mission with this weird guy for three years."

"Three years!?" Ino and Chouji screamed in unison, staring at Naruto and then looking over to Shikamaru when they noticed he did not seem surprised at all. Despite himself, he decided to answer their questioning looks with the simplest answer he could.

"Well, I am a chuunin. I know things you genin do not."

"Yeah, I still don't know how you got chuunin when you gave up on your fight, but yeah I guess you know then." Naruto was happy for Shikamaru that he had achieved Chuunin, but he was not happy that he had not been chosen as he had clearly defeated the number one rookie in the class above him, Neji. And then soon after defeated the Gaara in his demonic form. Can't a guy get some recognition?

"Hey Naruto," Chouji had noodles dangling from his mouth, "I thought you were training with that white haired, old guy?"

"Who? Oh, Ero-sennin… yeah, well he had to unexpectedly go off for who knows how long to check on some things. He is probably just ogling women though, damn pervert."

"Ero-sennin?" Why did Ino always have to be the one confused?

"Yeah, _Jiraiya-Sama…_" Naruto made sure to say this with as much sarcasm as possible. "Should be Pervert-Sama if you ask me."

A dozen bowls of ramen were then dumped on the table before Ino had a chance to beat Naruto for his disrespect of such a legendary ninja. As lunch went on, jokes were exchanged, Shikamaru muttered 'troublesome' fourteen times and Ino bonked Naruto on the head just as many times.

Naruto left the restaurant with the team of three and ran off the opposite direction, screaming, "Me and Tenten will see you in a few years…"

Chouji was silent to this as he had no idea who this mystery girl was. Ino brought her hand to her mouth as she knew exactly who that girl was. And Shikamaru muttered troublesome for the fifteenth time as he knew Ino would be talking about this for days.

同时。。。

Tenten had finally calmed down and had her pack almost ready to go for the morning. She felt her stomach growl and realized that she had missed lunch earlier as she was still getting used to the idea that this was her final day in her home village for several years. She left her second story apartment through the window and was looking for her favorite Chinese restaurant, when she ran into an orange blur.

"Oh sorry lady… wait, hey Tenten!"

She wanted to spend her last night in the village in peace. If she couldn't enjoy time with Neji than she would rather just be alone for one night, but it seemed like nothing was going her way today.

"Hi Naruto. Where are you heading?"

"Well I was going to go grab some ramen for dinner before I went home to pack again…"

"You haven't packed yet?!" Tenten couldn't believe she was going to be traveling with this guy for such a long time. He seemed to be the king of procrastinators.

"Well see, I was training and I ate at Ichiraku's with Shikamaru's team and…"

"You ate ramen for lunch and now you are going to eat it again for dinner?" Tenten couldn't believe him.

"Well, its my last day here and I wanted to get all I could since I couldn't have it again…"

"No."

"No what?" Naruto was easily confused.

"You will come and eat with me. We hardly know each other and are going to be around one another a lot from now on so we should get to know each other a bit. Besides, you need to eat something other than ramen the day before a big journey."

"Demo, demo…" Was all that Naruto could mutter and then yell as Tenten grabbed him by the back of his jacket as he tried to run off to Ichiraku's. He finally complied and they were now standing in front of a Chinese Cuisine Restaurant. It was fancier than anything Naruto had been in before and he knew the moment he laid eyes on it that Gama-chan, his froggie wallet was not going to be happy with this.

"Come on Naruto, you're buying!"

"Nani?!"

Tenten dragged the fighting Naruto into the restaurant. Upon seeing the demon boy, the host was about to throw him out. Tenten however saw him looking quite hatefully at Naruto and grabbed out one of her trusty kunai to 'play with'.

"Seating for two," Tenten said sweetly, while playing with the knife only inches away from the host's face. He go the picture and Tenten found herself seated faster than ever before. She didn't understand what the guy's problem was with Naruto, but intimidation had worked quite well.

Naruto was checking out the menu, gaping about the prices when the waitress came up. Tenten ordered Kung Pow Chicken with a bowl of rice and green tea. Naruto decided to try the Chinese Sichuan noodles. It looked like ramen to him. As they were waiting for their orders, Tenten spoke up.

"You excited about the mission Naruto?"

"Oh yeah, I mean I am gonna get stronger and all. That Shiro guy looks real strong, even though he smelled kinda bad."

Tenten let out a small giggle at this comment.

"Yeah, he seems ok. I'm gonna miss my team though. Even if Gai and Lee are annoying sometimes, they are the closest thing I have to family."

"What about your parents? I mean, I imagine it would be hard to leave your real family for three years too."

At this Tenten looked down. She then got this fake smile on her face and was beginning to say something when Naruto interrupted her.

"You're an orphan, aren't you Tenten?" Naruto said this matter of factly, but he had a serious look on his face. Tenten looked into his eyes and saw the same pain she had known for so long.

"Yeah, they were killed during the fight with the Kyuubi. I don't know exactly how it happened, I was only one-year-old at the time. I don't have any other family so I have been living on my own after some family friends took care of me until I became a genin and got my own apartment."

"I don't know what happened to my parents. I don't even know their names."

Naruto was more solemn than Tenten had ever seen him. No longer was that smile plastered on his face. In its place was a faraway look in his eyes as he stared at something or nothing at all behind her.

"I had to live in the orphanage until I became a genin. The only other people who took care of me were Sandaime and Iruka. Sandaime was like my grandfather until that bastard Orochi…"

Naruto suddenly stopped and remembered where he was and who he was with. Tenten didn't care about this stuff. She hardly knew him and he didn't want to have pity from her. Besides if she ever found out his secret, she would hate him to no end. It was the monster in him that had killed her parents after all. That was a sobering thought for Naruto to digest.

At this time the food came and both ate slowly and quietly. Not even Naruto was able to slurp his ramen in his usual manner. This mostly had to do with the fact that the noodles were spicier than anything he had ever tasted in his life.

"Itai!!! Hot, hot , hot! These are hot! What kind of crazy person puts so many peppers into a bowl of noodles that you can't even enjoy them?!"

Tenten was laughing at this.

"Those are Sichuan noodles, silly. They are known for being spicy. You should have asked me before you ordered them."

Naruto was not one to give up on anything, especially when it came to ramen. And this sure looked like ramen. So he decided to get rid of it all in one fell swoop. He stuff all the noodles in his mouth at once and swallowed without even bothering to chew. He was now sweating and breathing hard with his mouth wide open, panting like a dog.

Once he recovered he found he was still hungry. Tapping his chopsticks impatiently on the table he started eyeing Tenten's dish. It didn't look too spicy. So when she turned to look at a young couple arguing behind her he snagged some of her food and stuffed it in his mouth to come a surpise. Whatever was in her dish had numbed the whole side of his mouth he was chewing with! Now he wished he had more tea to drown out the spices.

Tenten looked back at him and noticed what he had done and she started to laugh. She was laughing hard pointing at him at the same time.

"Naruto… haha… my food has what the Chinese call 'hua jiao' in it. They are little peppers that make your mouth go numb when you bite into them. You have to get used to them I guess."

Naruto was none too pleased. All the food here was either crazy spicy or it numbed your mouth. What was this restaurant thinking? Soon Naruto was able to leave this restaurant, for the last time, and was once again on the sidewalk with Tenten.

"So Naruto, you remember to meet at the South Gate at eight in the morning right."

"Eight, got it. See ya then Tenten!"

"Thanks for dinner Naruto!"

'Uhh, don't remind me,' thought Naruto as he looked at his flattened wallet. Poor Gama-chan. Now was time for him to make one last stop before he headed home. Sakura should be done with her training with Tsunade by now and he needed to say good-bye. He was not looking forward to this. Leaving the only family he knew to go with two people he didn't.

Standing in front of Sakura's house he nervously knocked on the door. He wasn't sure if her parents hated him for what they thought he was or not. It was always a hit and miss when meeting new people in the village. Either they wanted to savagely beat him or they treated him like everyone else. There seemed to be no in betweens.

As the door creaked open, he was happy to see that it was Sakura.

"Naruto, what are you doing ?"

Couldn't Sakura be happy to see him just once? Instead he was constantly just 'the annoying one'. Could he ever break peoples' mental picture of him?

"Hey Sakura-chan, can we go for a walk?"

"I'm kinda busy right now Naruto, I mean I just got off of work and I was about to eat…"

"Sakura, its important, please, it'll just take a few minutes."

Sakura looked at Naruto to make sure this wasn't some practical joke. Then she grunted to herself as she pulled on her shoes and closed the door behind her. The sun was just setting as they walk towards a small park that was conveniently right next to her house. They both sat down on a bench and Naruto was the first to speak.

"I have a mission tomorrow with Tenten."

"Oh. Why you and her?"

"I have no idea, but it was what Tsunade and that weird guy said."

"What weird guy Naruto?"

"Oh yeah, Shiro… he is my new sensei."

"Oh."

Sakura was trying to act interested, she really was. The fact of the matter still was that she was tired, hungry and Naruto was not getting to the point.

"Naruto." Sakura looked right at him, "Why did you bring me out here?"

Naruto had been surprisingly calm and this scared Sakura. This was so unlike him. He wasn't looking sad or anything. But he wasn't bouncing off the walls and laughing constantly either.

"Sorry I wasted your time Sakura." Trust be told he just wanted to sit there and enjoy some time with her before he left. She was too much a goal-oriented person. He, on the other hand, was a people oriented person. Sure, he loved to complete goals as much as the next guy, but at the end of the day he would rather make sure everyone around him was safe and happy then worry about his own goals.

Naruto had tried to sit still to not annoy Sakura, but he knew that she didn't want to be here with him. So he took the good with the bad. He wasn't going to make her sit here with him and not answer her questions like some jackass.

Naruto got up and started walking off. Before he was too far away he looked back and said with that goofy smile he uses to cover up his apparent pain he screamed back at Sakura,

"Bye Sakura-chan. And when I get back I promise I will be stronger! Then we can get back Sakuke-teme!"

Sakura sat on the bench just a few more minutes wondering what had just happened. Soon she decided to go back in as it was getting chilly and she was sure her food was cold by now as well. Right before she got up she felt a cold wind blow straight through the park and she suddenly felt like the seasons were truly changing. What changes did these winds have in store?

同时。。。

Everyone had showed up at the gate to see them off. Somehow the news had spread and all the rookie nine (minus Sasuke of course), the team Sensei's, Tsunade… heck, even Neji had showed up to see his teammate off. Tenten had loved this fact and relished in it more than she cared to admit. What she did not appreciate was that it was ten minutes past eight and Naruto had still not shown up. Where is that brat?

Meanwhile, somewhere towards the middle of the town an orange streak could be seen fumbling through the street. Naruto was running late.

"Stupid alarm clock," Naruto could be heard muttering over and over.

He was not a morning person, especially when he stayed up until the wee hours of the morning repacking his bag after thinking through his original packing plan. After he had left Sakura in the park the night before he had taken a last stroll across his village and wound up at the Hokage Mountain, where he promptly took his place sitting on the fourth's head overlooking the village, with all its wondrous lights sparkling like the stars above.

"Well Yondaime, I hope you are happy. Getting this stupid fox sealed in me by you sure was not a great way to start life eh?"

Naruto liked to come up here and just… be still. So much of his life was spent rushing around, impressing people and trying to get acknowledgement. There were times that even he, the number one hyperactive ninja of Konoha, needed to sit down and collect himself; you know, figure out what this crazy life was about.

"You know, despite it all, thank you Fourth, for entrusting me with this. Even though I hate the ridicule and stares that I receive from so many people I know that is not what you meant to happen. I am glad that I can protect those precious to me… Sakura-chan, Kakashi, Iruka, Shikamaru, Tsunade, the rest of the rookie nine, Neji, Fuzzy Eyebrows, Gai and the other Jounin Sensei's… Tenten."

Naruto thought about Tenten now. How his life was going to change these next few years and he and she would not only get stronger but probably become friends. He loved to have new friends, he only hoped she would be one of the few girls that accepted him and didn't think of him as merely some brat to tolerate. Now that Naruto thought about, the only girls that didn't think of him like that were older: Tsunade and Ayame, though he didn't know her that well, she seemed to like him well enough. And I guess there is Hinata, but who knows what is going on in that weird girl's mind.

"Well Fourth, its been fun, but I gotta go and pack up. You look over this village while I am gone and make sure Obaa-chan doesn't screw too much up. I swear if I come back here and her mug is on this mountain… I won't be held responsible for what I may end up doing."

With this Naruto laughed to himself, comfortable with the silence in this one-sided conversation and left his favorite spot in the village for the last time for many years.

Now it was morning and he could see the South Gate right in front of him. He regretted staying up so late, but there was no way around it he figured. Time to reap the consequences for being late.

As soon as he stopped he realized that there were people to see him off. Everyone he knew was there, even Sakura-chan! But wait, why was she crying?

"Sakura-chan?"

"You baka! You didn't tell me you were going to be gone for three whole years!"

Naruto just looked at her silently, hoping she wasn't too angry with him. She then took him completely by surprise when she grabbed his right hand with both of her own and looked straight into his eyes.

"Naruto, promise me something. Promise me that you will come back. I can't stand to think of losing both my teammates…"

"Sakura-chan…"

"Promise me Naruto!" She screamed, tears flowing freely now down her rosy cheeks.

"Definitely. I will definitely come back Sakura-chan," Naruto said while holding his other hand out in a clenched fist, just like he did at the Prelims of the Chuunin Exam, when he had defended Hinata.

Breaking up this happy moment for Naruto, Tenten came up and whacked the unsuspecting fellow on the head.

"That's for showing up late!" Tenten then turned around to put all her attention back on Neji. Neji… he actually showed up to see her off.

It was time for them to go and Shiro, silent as he was in this crowd was showing definite signs of wanting to leave. As he inched his way out the gate, both Naruto and Tenten had last things to do.

Tenten approached Neji to say her goodbyes, when Neji spoke up.

"I will let Gai and Lee know that you have left. They will be most displeased to hear of your absence…"

"I know Neji."

"And so will I."

"What are you saying Neji?" Tenten had dreamed of this moment for so long. The moment Neji would pronounce his undying love for her and she could finally be affectionate with him.

"I am simply saying that now I will be alone on the team with two lunatics, that is all."

'Ice cold til the end,' Tenten sadly thought to herself. Still she let out a small giggle to appease Neji and then bowed to him as he returned the bow and left promptly thereafter.

Naruto was saying goodbye to Kakashi and Iruka.

"Take care of yourself Naruto. Here I got you something for your trip. Don't open it til you are out of the village though," Kakashi said plainly and unenthusiastically as he handed Naruto a small, poorly wrapped package.

"Thanks Kakashi-Sensei."

"Naruto," Iruka was already tearing up. "You be careful you hear. Don't do anything dangerous or stupid… well, not too stupid." Now Iruka let out a pained laugh as his favorite student got red in the face and was about to yell at Iruka for insulting him when Iruka embraced him.

"Leave the poor kid alone," Kakashi said beholding the strange sight. Naruto appreciated Iruka, but this was kinda awkward with everyone watching. With that said, Iruka turned around and gave Kakashi a nasty glare before backing off.

Now Tenten and Naruto were on either of Shiro's sides and ready to leave their village, their home. As they began to turn around and leave the gate, Something embraced both Tenten and Naruto from behind. It was the Legendary Sucker, the fifth Hokage.

"Naruto, you better not forget about your home. There are people here who care about you more than you know."

'Sheesh,' Naruto thought, 'Even Tsunade is crying.'

"I know… Tsunade Obaa-chan." At this Tsunade rubbed him affectionately on the head.

"I'll let you get away with it this time, but you better learn some manners on this trip."

Though Tsunade said this her true thoughts were all but the contrary.

'If you dare come back all prim and proper and dare to call me _sama_…. Naruto, don't change at all.' Tsunade thought as she gave Naruto a kiss on his forehead.

"And you, Tenten. Take care and watch out for this baka. He needs all the help he can get."

Tenten was glad to be acknowledged by her idol, while Naruto was fuming at essentially being called weak.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Tsunade asked sweetly and so innocently you would think she had spent the morning playing with kittens.

"You… I… not weak…" was all he could manage to get out before he finally calmed down.

Shiro was growing impatient, but Naruto had just one last thing to say:

"Tsunade, you give Jiraiya a good whack in the head when he gets back… the old pervert got out of training me, but he will just have to make up for it when I get back… and I will be back!"

With that Naruto turned around and marched off, walking straight past his travel partners. Shiro turned back to the crowd once more, nodding his head at Tsunade and Kakashi.

"Kakashi remember what I said," He merely spoke before turning around to catch up with Naruto.

"I do and I will."

Kakashi would protect this village. No matter what it cost him, he would make sure that there was a home for Tenten and Naruto to come home to.

Tenten quickly bowed to all of her friends before shouting out a good-bye and running to catch up with her new Sensei and teammate. As she ran she felt a cold wind sweep against her, causing her to shiver momentarily. And suddenly she had a thought that would spur her onto this journey:

'I wonder what changes these winds will bring…'


	2. 二

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Two:**

"I'm hungry!"

Naruto had been complaing about being hungry for the past hour. Shiro had quickly decided to ignore him and walked ahead, leaving Tenten to deal with the orange clad ninja. This only further irritated the pissed off Tenten. What was that Shiro thinking anyway? He was supposed to be their sensei, not some sadistic madman that stripped them of the very things they loved…

He had stated one rule for the two of them… only one before they left the village. Of course they were told of this only once they were outside the village. That one rule had pretty much decided the fate of this next three years: doom.

It had only be earlier that morning, yet she had replayed it in her head so many times that it seemed to be a never-ending nightmare. Shiro had stopped at a fork in the road and suddenly stopped. This confused the two students as they too stopped and stared at him as he turned around to meet them face-to-face.

"Naruto, Tenten. There will be many forks in the road in the next three years. You will not make the correct decision every time, but I hope that with my training you will have the strength to endure whatever decision you make."

"I plan to make you strong. Both of you have natural talents. Naruto, your kage bunshins are such an incredible power with which you can devise grand strategies and overwhelm your opponents. Tenten, your weapon skills are unsurpassed for even most Jounin. There are few weapons, I am sure, that you have not managed to master."

Both Tenten and Naruto took the time to puff up their chests and enjoy the praise that was just lavished upon them. Shiro then continued.

"I have heard these strengths from your former sensei's. That is why I ask you to take a fork in your life that will determine your future powers."

Naruto wasn't sure what he was talking about. He looked towards Tenten to see if she had any clue where this was going, but she looked just as confused.

"Naruto, from here on out, once you step across onto this path, you are hereby not allowed to use kage bunshins for one full year."

"NANI?!

"Tenten, you are to choose one weapon, and I stress only one, to train with. Your are to leave the rest on the side of the road."

"NANI?!"

Naruto looked at Tenten, not knowing that she could scream even louder than him when it came down to it. She returned his stare with one of her own. She was red in the face and he could swear there was steam coming from her ears. She tried to control her tongue the best she could with the next few words she said. Still they came out more as a growl than anything else.

"Sensei… I thought you were going to train us to be the strongest we can be. Why…. Why are you stripping us of out greatest strengths?"

Naruto nodded fervently. That is until Shiro responded.

"You will train in such a way that your weaknesses shall be your strengths. If you continue to rely on your strengths there will be portions of you that will remain weak. You are only as strong as your weakest point. I am going to make sure that you have no weak points."

With that he turned back towards the path, stuck his hands in his pockets in much the same fashion as Kakashi and began walking down the path to the right. He was whistling some tune that only irritated his students further than they already were… if that was even possible at this point.

Tenten just stood there. She was being asked to leave her weapons, weapon scrolls and everything behind. She had relied on these as long as she could remember and to leave them like unwanted garbage tugged at her heart. They were practically like children to her. Maybe that was going to far for some, but she had been an orphan and her few treasured possessions in her life were now not going to be in her possession. Slowly, ever so slowly, she kneeled down to take off her pack. She began discarding scroll after scroll. Next came the weapons, her kunai, wazikashi, and many others. Still she was allowed to keep one and that one weapon she put into her now bare weapons pouch on her leg. It seemed so lonely there.

As she looked at the stack of her precious weapons she began to rise and catch up when she realized a hand on her shoulder. There was Naruto looking at her with such a caring smile. It wasn't that goofy one that he wore so often. Nor was it the fake one she had seen a couple times now. No it was a smile just for her, from someone who actually understood her pain.

"Come on Tenten," He spoke softly, "we should catch up."

She simply nodded and got up. She did not dare look back. She couldn't handle it. Only then did she realize that her vision was clouded.

She was crying. Something she swore not to do anymore. She didn't cry. Not since her childhood. She did not want sympathy.

And there was Naruto walking beside her. He had been asked to give up as well. Yet he was not crying like a baby. He was already back to his goofy ways. He was probably glad that he had not been asked to give up ramen. That brought a real laugh from Tenten.

And just like that she was back in the real world, laughing like a madman at an inside joke that only she knew. It only made it funnier when Naruto said something about ramen under his breath and affirmed what she had just been thinking. She had made her decision. She would grow stronger. No more crying.

同时。。。

"Naruto, did you get the wood?"

"Hai, hai Tenten. What about the water?"

"Got it. Say, Naruto, what do you think of Shiro?"

Naruto sat down with his legs folded in front of him and one hand under his chin in his patented thinking pose. After a few moments of this (his hyperactive body could not stand any longer) he stood back up and looked right at Tenten and quoted his old sensei without even knowing it:

"My first thought is… I don't like him."

At that very moment Shiro decided to step out of the woods they were camping in with a few fish freshly caught. He didn't even look at Naruto when he spoke.

"I don't like you too much either brat. All you do is whine and complain. 'When can I eat ramen? My poor, poor shadow clones. Boo-hoo…' Seriously Naruto."

Naruto ran at Shiro and stopped right in front of his now sitting sensei.

"Well what about you. You drag us out of our village. In one day I have had to leave everything behind and Tenten and I both gave up our strongest weapons. Not to mention we haven't trained once since we have left. And now we are going to just eat and go to sleep? What kind of teacher are you?"

'Naruto has a point,' Tenten thought. We haven't trained or even talked to our sensei at all really. She decided that she needed to know something.

"Shiro-sensei," she interrupted Naruto's fuming. "Who are you really. Why did you choose us? We aren't the strongest in our classes. Nor are we from big clans. I don't get it why you seemed to choose two random people to train for three whole years."

Shiro stopped only momentarily to look back at his students.

"Are you ready to die?"

And just like that he was gone. Vanished into thin air with naught but a lightning fast streak to even prove that he had been standing in front of them.

Naruto glanced over at Tenten who nervously fingered her only remaining weapon. Naruto put his fingers into the familiar cross shape to summon his kage bunshins when he remembered his promise. And he never goes back on his promises.

Being the orange clad ninja that he is, Naruto immediately dashed at his sensei as soon as he reappeared. He was lazily leaning against a tree waiting for Naruto. He seem to know his tactics already and the fight had barely begun.

This only pissed Naruto off all the more. What was it with him and getting these lazy, good for nothing teachers anyway?

As Naruto started a taijutsu fight that was clearly to his disadvantage, Tenten was hidden in the foliage, attempting to come up with some strategy. She wasn't sure if Naruto was covering for her or just being an idiot, but either way it gave her time to think. She was used to standing in the background and launching volley after volley of weapons at her opponents, but now that she only had one she had nothing to rely on in battle. She knew no ninjutsu other than the few basic concepts that she had learned in the academy. Her taijutsu was strong, but only when backed by her various weapons. And let's not even talk about genjutsu.

Steadying her hand from shaking with… was it excitement or fear… Tenten did the only thing she could think of; jumping out to help her comrade with her favorite kunai in hand.

Naruto was not looking so hot, this was the first thing that she noticed. Apparently he had tried his signature Naruto Rendan using only himself, with less than little success. He had ended up on the ground trying to kick Shiro into the air like he had seen Lee do once before, but Shiro had dodged the hit, grabbed his legs and tossed him with more force than necessary into a tree.

Tenten knew better than most that the type of speed and power needed for that combo was near impossible to achieve. She only knew of two people who could ever do it and they were both on her old team…

'How strange it is to think of them as my old team,' Tenten pondered while running at full force to counteract Shiro, who still looked as uninterested as ever. Without even thinking Tenten threw her knife straight forward before she realized that she had no other ammo. It was such a natural reflex and now that she had performed the action, it was too late to get her knife back.

Shiro paused only for a split second as he observed her weapon coming at him, before he grabbed it out of thin air and held up a hand in front of him, halting hers and the now recovering Naruto's attack.

"Where… where did you get this?"

Tenten noticed that Shiro did not look so lazy now. He was holding onto her most precious weapon, looking at it as if he had seen a ghost.

"Why do you care?"

All of a sudden he relaxed and acted as if nothing had happened.

"Eh, just curious. Not everyday you see a three-pronged kunai. I mean, who has ever heard of such a thing?" Shiro looked over at Naruto with a questioning look, but he just shrugged his shoulders, proving that like most other times, he had no idea what was going on.

"My father left it to me before he died. It is the only thing I have left from before they died." She did not tear up, nor did she even look sad when she talked about her lost family like the last time Naruto saw her. No, this time she was mad that someone she hardly knew had taken her last weapon. Just as she was about to continue her charge, Shiro casually tossed the kunai back towards her.

"That is no normal weapon you hold there. Guard it with your life."

And with that, the now more mysterious Shiro continued on trekking along the trail as if nothing had happened. Tenten and Naruto looked at each other, still panting from their fight wondering what had just happened. Still, it was obvious Shiro was not going to tell them. More and more he seemed to be the strong but silent type.

'Well, if I can't learn about one team member I will just have to get to know the other,' Tenten reasoned.

"Ne, Naruto. What was your old Sensei like?"

"Ehh?! He was lazy and stupid looking just like this one. He wore a mask and his hitai itei was always messed up on his head too. Maybe it had to do with his eye or something… Anyway. Both lazy. I hope this one isn't perverted too. That would make three perverted sensei's."

"Three?" Tenten knew about Kakashi-sensei. He was the one that Gai-sensei was always challenging. But who was this other guy Naruto was talking about?

"Yeah, stupid Ero-sennin. I don't know if I would consider him a teacher. He more just told me what to do and then went to spy on chicks. Old pervert…"

"Ero-sennin…" Tenten looked with a faraway look of both disgust and curiosity.

"Yeah, Jiraiya. He…"

"Jiraiya-sama?! Don't disrespect Jiraiya-sama! He in one of the legendary three along with Tsunade!"

Naruto ignored the fact that he was interrupted right before he was about to get into a good story where he used the harem no jutsu. Instead he just looked Tenten dead in the eye and said simply:

"Jiraiya is a super pervert. And Tsunade is a super granny."

That earned his a punch to the back of his skull that could rival Tsunade's. Tenten beat him harder than Sakura ever did. What was up with that. He thought she was nice and calm.

"Tenten, what the heck? I thought you were a nice kunoichi, not like Sakura…"

Another whack to his head. This one actually made Shiro look back with concern, but he bit his tongue before saying anything to Tenten that could earn him one of those hits. Instead, he just kept on walking, ignoring the deathly fight behind him… no it wasn't a fight, more like a slaughter.

"Itai! Tenten!"

"I am not like Sakura! I am not a fan girl of that stupid looking Sasuke…"

"Wait, you don't like Sasuke either? That's awesome…"

"I prefer guys like Neji."

"Nani?!"

Tenten just looked over at Naruto with stars in her eyes.

"What's wrong with Neji?

Shiro was listening to this whole conversation, from a safe distance of course. But he now found himself begging Naruto silently not to answer that, for his own sake.

"What is wrong with him? He is JUST like Sasuke. He is just…."

Tenten was rearing up for another punch when Naruto bowed his head. He finished his sentence in a barely audible whisper.

"Never mind Tenten. I take that back. Neji wouldn't betray his village. His friends. His family. Neji would never…"

Tenten relaxed after seeing the pain in Naruto's eyes.

"Come on Naruto, " Tenten rested her hand on his shoulder. "Shiro is way ahead of us… I'll race ya!"

"Nani?… You'll never beat me! I'm the next Hokage!"

"Wanna bet?" Tenten said with a mischievous smirk.

"Eh? Bet what?"

Tenten held out her hand. This caught Naruto squinting, trying to see what she was concealing in her fist.

"This." Tenten opened her hand to reveal nothing. And with that she ran off.

"Wait… Hey that's cheating!" Naruto finally caught on and chased after her.

Competition. Always guaranteed to get Naruto out of any mood.

Tenten would have to remember that one.

同时。。。

It was a beautiful lake. The stars were shining, reflecting off the docile pool of water, dancing in the eyes of one Tenten. It was so peaceful. Everything calm and dark around her as all rested for the night. Even her teammates were asleep. Still, she could not sleep. This peace of nature.. It just made her want to… want…

SCREAM!

Tenten stood up from her perch in a tree overlooking the lake and began beating the tree with her bare fists.

"AHHH!! I have been sleeping on the hard ground for a week straight with two smelly, snoring, disgusting pigs of men. Stupid me thought that at least Shiro wouldn't be disgusting, but he has yet again proved to be a mystery to modern science. While being a silent guy in his waking hours, when he is unconscious, his snoring could give Chouji a run for his money. "

How does Tenten know how loud Chouji is. Well, don't ask. It was a bad combination of a team party with the rookie nine, Lee getting drunk again, and Choiji being knocked out in the resulting fury. Not something Tenten wanted to recall.

But that isn't the point!

"No one told me to pack for sleeping outside every day!" Tenten was shouting at no one in particular. Perhaps she was developing an Inner Tenten… let's pray that was not so.

"Noooo… they told me we would be staying at various villages and rest stops. I don't consider sleeping on hard roots every night a rest stop! And having to all sleep in the same tent doesn't make matters any better. Not that sleeping in a different tent could possibly drown out the sound of ALL… THAT…. BLOODY…. SNORING!!!!"

"Tenten calm down…"

"Eeeekkkk!"

(Whack!)

"Uhhhh."

(Gonk)

"Gonk?" Tenten put her hand up to her chin… "What goes 'gonk'?"

"Let's see," She continued to talk out loud. "I was minding my business when someone spoke into my ear softly… just like I always hoped Neji would actually … Anyways…. Then I hit whoever it was and then I heard him grunt and whine and then he must have…."

It was only then that she recalled that she was twenty feet in the air on a rather narrow tree branch in the pitch black. And that voice had sounded alarmingly like Naruto's. So that must mean that he is…

"Oops."

"Uhhh… is that all you can say?"

Naruto was laying spread eagle on the forest floor staring up at Tenten as she had immediately jumped down after coming to this conclusion.

"Well, at least you have a hard head." Tenten offered a hand to help Naruto up.

"Always so mean."

(whack)

"I'm not always mean!"

"Sheesh, ok, ok." Naruto was now rubbing his sore back and newly sore head. Suddenly Shikamaru popped into his head and that little line of his slipped.

"So troublesome," Naruto muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Tenten asked sweetly. Sweetly in a 'If you said what I think you said I will make sure you can never reproduce' sorta way. Very sweet.

"Nothing," Naruto squeaked.

"Ne, Naruto. Do you ever think about what it would have been like to grow up with a family. Like all sorts of people around you who actually care about you and… love you and stuff?"

Tenten. Such a complexity.

'Much like myself,' Naruto thought. Going from fun to serious in a second. She seemed so amazing to him at that moment. She didn't ignore him outright like Sakura did so often. Nor did she mock him in anything but a fun way. She never demeaned him, except to poke fun of course. And best of all, she really wanted to talk to him. Of course maybe it was because he was the only one there at the moment.

"Yeah."

"Yeah? Is that it Naruto? You gotta give me more than that."

Naruto looked over at Tenten with an incredulous look. She wasn't just wanting to talk to him to be nice… She was actually WANTING to talk to him. To know what went on in his head and about his life. He couldn't remember the last time this happened. Maybe with Iruka, but that was different in his mind.

"Well, I mean what else is there to say. I would love to know who my mother and father are and I would have loved to grow up with them. I wish I had a mother who would clean my knees when I tripped and scuffed them. I wish I had a father to teach me techniques and tell me he is proud. It would have been great to have a sister to kiss my bruises when I was hurt and make them better. Having brothers to fight with and have adventures would make every day better."

Tenten was listening so intently and Naruto was trying not to get emotional, but there was a tear that escaped that Tenten saw before he wiped it away and put on one of his big smiles.

"But we can't wish our lives away. I have family now. I have Iruka who is like a dad… an overprotective dad, but I guess that'll do. And Ero-sennin (whack) … I mean Jiraiya-sama is like my perverted grandfather or uncle or something. Sasuke… he was… is… I dunno. But he is like a brother. And Sakura. Well, I have this thing for her, but I protect her like a sister. Kakashi is that weird uncle no one wants to talk about (Tenten laughed at this) and the old man, Sandaime, he was like my favorite grandfather…"

"I know what you mean," Tenten started to get worked up. "Gai-sensei is like that uncle no one wants to talk about (Naruto gave a nice guy pose that Tenten giggled at) and Lee is definitely like a goofy brother. Neji… well, I am not sure what he is, but he is definitely family. All of the rookie nine are like cousins or something. And I wish I could look up to Tsunade like a favorite aunt (Naruto said something about her being a grandmother at this remark, and Tenten hit him for that)."

"I guess we do have a lot of family, right Tenten?"

"Yeah we do."

"I wonder what we are all going to be like."

"You mean us three?" Tenten waved her arms out indicating their three man team.

"Yeah, I mean is Shiro-sensei going to be like another dad or uncle or brother? And you…"

Naruto stopped here not wanting to go on. Tenten understood. She didn't push him.

"I don't know Naruto. I guess only time will tell."

"Yeah. Come on Tenten, we both need to sleep…"

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we just sit here a while longer?" They were now sitting on the ground against the tree trunk looking out at the serene lake. They were side-by-side, there shoulders just barely grazing one another's.

Naruto just nodded his head, leaning back to look at the stars.

'Only time will tell,' Naruto thought. And he closed his eyes and breathed in the free air.

同时。。。

After what seemed an eternity, but in reality had only been another two weeks, the ragtag team had finally reached civilization…. Sorta.

"Sensei?" Tenten practically growled. "What is this?"

Shiro had long ago figured out Tenten's temper and mood swings. After all he had learned though… he had still not truly learned.

"This? Oh, this where we will be living and training for the next three months…"

Tenten and Naruto's shoulders slumped and their packs nearly fell off their backs as they stared at this place. It was… a shack. Well, two shacks actually. It looked weather-proof , sorta. But there was no electricity, no town or even village for miles and miles, and that little closet of a building could NOT be their bathroom!

"Yeah," Shiro continued on, oblivious to his students' disdain. "This is a great place to go to getaway from the things of man. When you need to escape…"

"When you need to escape what? All things comfortable and good?!" Naruto nodded his head fervently agreeing with Tenten. Even had he not agreed he would have still nodded his head out of pure fear of the girl. He would never tell her to her face (well, at least not again) that she was, in fact, like Sakura in some ways.

Tenten was fed up with this. She had little choice to make herself comfortable in the far right shack that she had deemed to be her own. The two males could have their own shack to be gross and disgusting with. Just as she was about to enter the doorway with desperate thoughts of interior decorating (or lack thereof), she heard Shiro describing their soon to be training methods.

"Yo Naruto. I know you are dying to know about this training… well, I will give you a hint"

Both of the teens' ears perked up.

"For this training you and Tenten will become fierce in your own rights. But you each have strengths and weaknesses that you each must realize in order to help the other improve. You will be sparring together, training together, preparing food together…"

This was not going where Tenten thought it was going was it? 'No, he wouldn't possibly…' She thought.

"And living together."

Famous last words.


	3. 三

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Three:**

The training was unbearable at the best.

Tenten and Naruto were worked fourteen hours a day, six days a week. This had gone on for one month so far. They received only one day for rest. Shiro had asserted that if he could, he would have them working all days of the week, but he knew from experience that the body needed at least one day to recover. Besides he was their teacher, not their slave driver. His students weren't so sure about this though.

"Stupid Shiro-sensei… stupid water container, bucket things… stupid weights… stupid heat…"

Tenten heard Naruto muttering as usual. A the beginning of this she may have hit him for being so disrespectful, but now she was either too tired to care or she really just didn't care. After the first day they arrived at their pathetic excuse for a encampment, they had been given their first training session. The secret to this training was that it never ended. They had been following through with the same training session for a month straight… even in their sleep. All the time they had to wear these weights. They had weights on both wrists, both ankles and a weight vest. Now there were only a mere 25lbs on their wrists, but their feet held 50lbs each and the vest weighed in at a nice 75lbs. Every week weight was added on. Tenten didn't like to think about that.

A grand total of 225lbs for this week.

They haven't even been allowed to take off their weights on their off-days. Shiro said there was a reason, but had not given it. He rarely talked, Tenten had noticed. She had imagined that he would warm up to them at least a bit by now, but no such thing. While Naruto and her were tirelessly sparring this afternoon, he was sitting in the shade of a nearby tree, dozing off every few minutes

What was he thinking anyway? This training was a little excessive to begin with. Even Naruto agreed with her on this. I mean, after they were done sparring for an hour, they had to do some useless exercise that Shiro had obviously concocted merely for his pleasure.

There were these huge containers of water outside the shacks. They had to hold at least one hundred gallons of water each. There were eight total. Four on one side, four on the other side. They were placed so that there were two groups, the four basins of water on each side forming a sort of square.

Now what they had to do was stand on the rims of these huge containers and transfer water with a much, much smaller bucket from one container to the other. This was difficult because they had to balance on the rims the whole time, duck down carefully, fill up their bucket, stand back up and dump the bucket into a separate basin. This would go on for hours. Their was no real rhythm to it. Shiro would bark out commands as to which basin he wanted filled and Tenten and Naruto simply had to obey. Their poor backs were sure not appreciating all that additional weight now.

A sadist. That's what he is.

Truly, what is he thinking?

同时。。。

Shiro had drifted off to sleep under that tree. He had not meant to, he was supposed to keep an eye on his students, lest they pull another trick like last week. His right foot still hurt from that.

His sleep had not been peaceful for years. There was little that Shiro feared. Most of the people that he loved were already dead, so he did not fear for their lives any longer, but that did not mean that he didn't have to watch their death first hand every single night he slept. It was his own personal torture that he simply could not escape. He did not fear many things, but the lack of control he experienced in his dreams was too much.

_The fires were spreading._

_It had happened faster that any of the jounins had expected. They had seen this battle coming for days, but no one could have predicted this. _

_The Kyuubi had arrived._

_Shiro had been commanded by the Yondaime to guard the west area of the village. The attack had gone on for nearly twelve hours now. The shinobi had met Kyuubi several miles outside the village in an attempt to keep him as far away from the defenseless civilians as possible. But the Kyuubi had proven too powerful. Despite their best efforts he had made it to the village. _

_The heat was unbearable._

_Shiro was in command of his team now. His sensei had been killed in the first onslaught of the Kyuubi earlier that day. His team was looking to him for leadership now as he was the only one that achieved Jounin status and was a natural leader of the team anyways._

_He prided himself in his weapon skills. Most ninja only learned the necessary skills; kunai, throwing stars, maybe some sword play. Shiro was different . Being the brother of the most skilled weapons maker in the Fire Country probably had something to do with that. Needless to say, he never experienced a lack of new and custom weapons to add to his arsenal._

_As Shiro approached the western wall of Konoha with his two teammates his worst fears were realized. He had hoped that his neighborhood was far enough inside the wall to avoid damage, but it encompassed the fires he had seen from the distance. His old home, his brother's weapon shop… all in smoldering ruins at his feet. _

_The Kyuubi could be seen in the distance, battling a giant frog… Gamabunta was it?… with Yondaime on his head. Shiro would have to make this fast to avoid engaging the enemy. He was to evacuate survivors, send any living with his chuunin teammates to the underground tunnels where they would be safe. Then all jounin were to join in the fight. _

"_Shiro!"_

_That was Hiromi. Her voice was normally calm. She acted as the medium ground on his constantly at odds team. Her voice just now had been one of outright fear… and rage?_

_Shiro did not speak, he only leapt off in the direction he had heard her scream. It was then that his worst nightmares were realized._

_Hiromi was digging through the burning rubble. She had found two bodies. Underneath the two bodies was a baby girl, only one year old at the time. There was blood everywhere. So much so, that it was hard to distinguish who's was who's. _

_His niece was crying._

_His brother and sister-in-law were dead. They had died defending their only child. She would now grow up an orphan. _

_Shiro looked carefully over the infant to see that she had not gone without injury. She had a horrible gash that started at her right collar bone and spread down to right below her left collar bone. It was not fatal, and Shiro only hoped that a medic could get rid of any scarring that would occur. She would have a rough enough life as it was._

_An explosion knocked Shiro from his thoughts. In a last attempt to conquer, the Kyuubi had slashed at the Yondaime, but was knocked over mid attack by the shinobi surrounding it. The result was Kyuubi came tumbling down onto the very soil on which they were standing. _

_Shiro dropped to the ground immediately, shielding his baby niece with his body. Hiromi and Hamada, what was left of his team were not so lucky. They had not seen what was coming and due to Shiro being occupied, they had taken the brunt of the accidental attack by the Kyuubi._

_People die in wars in such small and insignificant ways. _

_It was an accident. The Kyuubi had not even meant to do it. That did not mean that Shiro was not the last living on his team now. He had no time to mourn. He was determined to get at least one person out of the hell hole alive… so he ran towards the hospital, the baby nestled in his arms, calming down from loss of blood. _

_He gave one last glance towards the battle and saw Yondaime glance back. Their eyes caught for only the briefest of moments, but Shiro could see the sadness in his blue eyes. Shiro turned back to the task at hand, realizing that would be the last he saw of their great Hokage._

Naruto had noticed his sensei sleeping and his mischievous side kicked in. Before Tenten could stop him he had grabbed one of the small buckets full of water and crept over to the tree on which Shiro napped. Naruto was creeping like a little kid, snickering the whole way until he was only a few feet away. It was then that Shiro's eyes snapped open.

Tears…

Shiro looked like he had seen death itself. He looked first at Naruto, those terrified eyes boring into Naruto's. Fervently Shiro shifted his gaze to Tenten. She froze, unsure of what was happening. Naruto had forgotten about his little prank and was now on alert.

And just as quickly as it had happened, Shiro snapped out of it. His nonchalant mask took over and he stood slowly, gripped Naruto by his collar and threw him against the tree trunk. He then cocked his head towards Tenten, effectively keeping an eye on them both.

"Seems Naruto has had enough of the water training… Well, I just so happen to have a new exercise boy and girl."

Tenten's shoulders slumped. Tomorrow was their day off and the sun was almost setting, a usual sign that training was finished for the day. And Naruto had to go and screw that up for them. Hopefully the training wouldn't be too horrendous.

Shiro led the two brats out back. There were what seemed to be pull-up bars, but instead of one horizontal bar at the top, there were two only inches from one another. Shiro took the pleasure of moving two of the huge water basins directly under the poles. He then hung two smaller buckets, maybe only five gallons each on either side of the sets of pull-up bars. Then he took two sake cups (like a shot glass for those who have never seen one) and prepared to demonstrate their newest exercise, but first he wanted to explain.

"Tenten, you are very poor at hand-to-hand combat. Sure, with weapons you are decent, but if you take one hard hit, you are down for the count. And Naruto, you are not fast enough. You are made for close quarters combat, but you take hits that you could easily avoid. Both of you need to build up your core muscles."

Naruto and Tenten looked at each other, shrugged, then turned back to see what the heck they were supposed to do.

Shiro lifted himself up onto the higher than normal pull-up bar with one arm, the other holding the sake cups. He then slipped both his feet into the space in between the two bars, locking them in place. Letting go with his arm, he now dangled upside down. Holding one cup in each hand he dipped them into the water, lifted himself up with only his abdominal muscles and emptied the water into the two buckets he hung up on the vertical poles. He did this a few times to prove his point before getting down.

"You may rest when your two buckets are filled."

Naruto hopped right up and started at it. His almost eternal stamina helped him whereas Tenten was struggling after ten minutes. Shiro had left for the forest near the two shacks, to do what, no one but him knew. As soon as he was out of sight Naruto spoke up.

"Tenten, you can stop."

Panting with extreme exhaustion. Perspiration pour down her hot face, Tenten shook her head.

"No… We have to finish… with this water."

Naruto shook his head in reply. "He never said that we both had to do this. He just said that the buckets had to be filled. I can finish for both of us."

Unbeknownst to either person, Shiro was standing not too far away, just out of sight, yet within earshot.

"No Naruto, we are a team now. And as a team we fight together and suffer together…"

"But Tenten, this was my fault. If I hadn't…"

"Naruto I should have stopped you, but do you know why I didn't?"

Naruto quirked his head sideways at her in the best way he could while hanging upside down. Meanwhile, Tenten formed a devious smile.

"Because I would have done it if you hadn't. Anyway, if I don't finish this on my own I will never get stronger."

Naruto looked at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. He had meant to show surprise at her prankster hidden within, but he also want to display affection towards her that she thought of him as an equal, as her teammate. Then there was a last feeling that he didn't quite grasp yet. Something about Tenten… it just seemed like this was all right. Their muscles ached, it was hotter than the hottest day in Konoha and Naruto knew that he was going to be kept up by Shiro's snoring and Tenten's complaining about the snoring. Still, right now, right here, in the midst of the sweat and ache he knew both of them felt, things couldn't be much better.

"You're right… Tenten… chan."

Tenten froze mid stomach crunch to stare at Naruto. He avoided the stare he knew was inevitably coming for him and continued with his work.

"But if I finish first you have to know I have a prank planned to make finishing for you all the harder!"

"Same here brat!" Tenten responded, already overcoming the initial shock of having Naruto call her by such a name. Normally she would have smacked him if she was within arm's reach. Or she would have brushed it off and asked him to just call her 'Tenten'. But with circumstances as they were she would just take it as it was… a simple name of affection. She had experienced little of it in her life and right now just seemed… right.

同时。。。

It was their off day. Shiro had gone back to sitting against the trunk of his tree, sipping on what Tenten had discovered after only a week, was sake. He was a predictable guy it seemed. But predictability wasn't such a bad thing in this world of ninjas. At least not among comrades.

Naruto was as predictable as always; hyper, unstoppable and mysterious. He didn't seem mysterious at first. At first Tenten regarded him much the same way everyone did - as a hyperactive brat that didn't know when to shut up. But in point in fact, he did know when to shut up. You just had to be paying attention.

Tenten had nothing but time to pay attention to the boy and the reverse seemed to be true as well. They were growing to be quite good friends. Their roles were well-defined from the start. Naruto was the one that planned crazy adventures and pranks. He believed anything could work if you tried hard enough, There were no impossibilities with this guy. Tenten was the sensible one. She was there to smack him upside the head whenever one of his plans was obviously not up to par. She also tried to keep him out of trouble, but she was not some goody two shoes who would not join in on some prank of his… granted she acknowledged that it was halfway decent.

Naruto was the extremist. Tenten, the one that kept the extremes in check.

It was simple really.

That is what led them to this creek today. Naruto had declared that he was tired of rice and vegetables. Tenten agreed saying that they needed more protein in their diet. Shiro only went to town once a week and brought home only enough meat to last two, maybe three days between the three of them.

Naruto wanted to go fishing. Tenten was all for it.

So they found each other trekking for hours out into the forest. They had left Shiro in his half drunken stupor. He wouldn't have wanted to go anyway. After walking what had to be several miles they finally caught the sound of running water.

Taking to the tree branches for a better view, the pair of ninjas found exactly what they had hoped for: a lovely stream full of fish. Naruto had brought several kunai with him for Tenten to use. The plan was for Naruto to swim around and startle the fish into leaping out of the water. Then Tenten would snag them with one of her well-placed kunai.

Naruto stripped down to his boxers and leapt into the docile stream. Tenten found herself actually blushing a little at this gesture but couldn't figure it out. She dismissed the idea entirely and went back to work. She determined that she would think only of Neji while catching tonight's dinner.

'Yes, Neji. Wearing those sexy bandages, with that sexy shirt and that sexy smile and sexy blonde hair… wait a minute, Neji doesn't have…' Tenten was interrupted from her day dreams by Naruto splashing around.

"Yo Tenten-chan! The waters awesome!… Ready?"

"Hai!"

Naruto went underwater looking to surprise some poor fish minding their own business. He did just that. It turns out Naruto is as loud and obnoxious underwater as he is above. Tenten snagged the three fish that leapt out to their unsuspecting deaths. The plan was to catch two or three fish for each of them. And they were planning to feed their slave driver… Shiro too, so they would need about six to nine fish. Tenten had just used up three of the eight kunai Naruto gave to her.

Half an hour later and Tenten was down to one kunai. Naruto was showing no signs of tiring. In fact, free from his weights while swimming, he was loving every second of it. Tenten had taken off her multitudes of weights as well… just for an hour or two. They wanted to purely enjoy themselves, even if just for a short while. And those weights denied any satisfaction from just about anything, even eating and sleeping.

Naruto was smiling a big genuine smile and was able to kick up two more fish. Tenten found herself in a conundrum in the matter of a split second. She had only one of Naruto's kunai left. But if they only came home with eight, one person would only get two fish rather than three. Tenten knew for sure that Naruto would gladly be the one willing to sacrifice, but she didn't want him to have to. So she made her decision.

One second later, the last two fish were pinned against a tree on the other side of the creek. Naruto leapt out of the water to retrieve them when he looked at the kunai holding them. One was one of his old favorite kunai. It was pitted and scratched, but had served him well through many battles and practices. The other he did not recognize. Nor had he ever seen one like it.

It had three blades, almost like a miniature sai. And on the handle was a strange character that he could not read. He pulled it out of the wood slowly and looked closely at it. He could tell it had been used, but not very often. It seemed to be quite old, but had very few scratches or signs of wear.

He shrugged it off and tossed the fish and kunai back to Tenten. She happily accepted them and hung the fish up on a string with the rest of the ones they had caught. She then sat down with her feet in the water, relaxing and enjoying the cold water against her feet. It had been hot again today, but not nearly as hot as it had been yesterday.

Naruto swam up to her.

"You should get in, it feels great!"

"Naruto, I'm a girl, I can't just strip down and jump in with you."

Naruto cocked his head to the side in that cute way that Tenten likes (wait, what was she thinking?) and said ok, have it your way. He then grabbed her by her wrists and pulled her into the water. After being fully submersed, Tenten came up sputtering. She was desperately trying to get a hold of the embankment, but failing to do so. Naruto saw the outright fear in her eyes and grabbed a hold of her, securing himself and her against a tree root jutting into the water from the land.

"Naruto… I… you… swim…" She was furious and terrified all at the same time and Naruto had no idea what he did wrong.

"I'm sorry Tenten-chan. I just wanted you to feel like you could get in the water too. It feels great to swim around without…" But Tenten had finally caught her breath and interrupted him.

"I can't… I can't swim." She looked down once she said this, probably in shame, but Naruto didn't care about things like that. Tenten probably thought he was going to say some snide remark like Neji would have had he been in the same situation. But she then remembered that this wasn't Neji. Naruto would never cut her down. Although Neji's intentions would be to build her up by cutting her down, Naruto would take his own approach to helping her. And that is exactly what he did.

"Oh. Well the only way to learn is to get into the water." With that he turned around and guided Tenten's hands over his shoulders so that she could ride on his back. Without those infernal weights on, he was plenty strong enough to keep them both afloat.

"But first Tenten-chan. Let's get you used to the water."

And that is exactly what they did. For the next hour Tenten had a clump of blond hair in her face as she let Naruto drag her from here to there, back and forth across the stream. He was right, it felt great to get out of the heat. The water was the perfect temperature. She had forgotten her fear of drowning after mere minutes of being on Naruto's back. He seemed to have that effect her. She wondered if he was like this to everyone. While she hoped that he was just as nice to everyone he met, another part, deep within the recesses of her heart, hoped that it was untrue.

Alas, the time finally came that they had to head back to their unruly campsite. It was a good time that they left when they did, as the sun had just fully set when they arrived back at camp. Shiro had just made a fire and was preparing some vegetable soup when the two came back. He seemed to express no interest where they had gone, but was thankful nonetheless for the fish.

After an uneventful dinner… the best dinner in Naruto and Tenten's opinions, it was time for bed. The two teammates made their way back to the shack they had declared as their own. Their was a curtain that Tenten had hung up for privacy between the two halves of the shack. She was not entirely shy, but she was practical. It helped to keep things from being too awfully awkward.

Naruto changed into a pair of loose pants and shirt that he slept in, with the weights still on over his clothes. Tenten stripped down and got into her single oversized t-shirt that she slept in. Naruto had seen her in it once and his nose had sprung a leak of blood for the next five minutes. Tenten had just ignored his antics that night.

Tonight though she wanted to see that reaction just once more.

She had a plan.

"Naruto, you saw my kunai today right?"

Naruto grunted from the other side of the tiny room.

Tenten got out of bed and fumbled through her clothes to find the unique knife.

"After the Kyuubi attack, my old house was burned down to the ground. My dad made weapons, so some shinobi went through the wreckage later to see if they could salvage any of his equipment. The only thing left completely unharmed though was this lone knife."

She then found it in her weapons pouch still attached to her pants she had worn that day.

"It was weird, because it had been untouched by any fire. It was still perfect, just like when it had first been made. I have never seen another like it."

She then spread the curtain to Naruto's side. He was lying on his back listening intently to her story. What she didn't expect to see were the tears streaming down his cheek from the story she had just told. She had no idea what could have upset him so. She ran to his bed and grabbed him to make sure he was alright. It was then that Naruto saw what she was wearing. The tears littering his face were replaced with blood as he caught sight of her in her pajamas. Tenten sighed, knowing in his half conscious state she would never find out what had been wrong before. It was then that her mischievous grin returned to her face.

"Score! Tenten: 2 Naruto: 0"


	4. 四

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Four:**

Shiro had several maps laid out before him as Naruto and Tenten came into his shack for some meeting he called for after lunch that day. By now, the trio had been residing out in these woods for three months. Naruto and Tenten had without a doubt grown stronger from their training. Though, Naruto was constantly complaining that he had not learned a single jutsu since he started. And with the training he was undergoing, he had not had the time to work on perfecting his rasengan. He still had to have a clone help him, but he wasn't allowed to use clones for a year, per Shiro's instruction. So he had not been able to use a rasengan in any of his spars.

Tenten had learned to use her single kunai much more sparingly. With help from Naruto (and none from Shiro as of yet) her taijutsu was definitely improving. With her slimmer and faster frame, she could even give Naruto a run for his money with his obvious handicaps. Still, his stamina normally overcame her advantageous speed.

Now Shiro was hunched over his small table with Tenten and Naruto congregated around him and his maps.

"Right now we are here," Shiro pointed to the southwestern tip of the Fire country. "We will be traveling across the border to the Wind country on our way to neutral land in between the Wind Country and Earth Country."

Naruto was squinting his eyes and periodically shaking his head as if he understood it all too well. Truthfully, he hadn't seen a map of the countries and Hidden Villages since he was in Academy and had forgotten much of the geography.

Tenten actually did understood, imagine that.

Shiro continued on, "This will be a two week journey. On the way we will stop at Sand Village for two weeks. Here I will meet one of my contacts and we will resupply."

"Woohoo! I will get to see Gaara!"

Tenten just shuddered. Sand was where that girl from the chuunin exams lived. She wasn't aware that she was related to Naruto's friend. Though she did remember that creepy guy and wondered how in the world anyone would be excited to see him.

"You know Gaara?" Shiro was clearly surprised.

"Well, yeah, sorta. We fought after the Chuunin exams and now we are sorta friends… I think, hehe."

"Well, that would make things easier. He will be instated as the new Kazekage while we are residing there."

"NANI!?"

"That maniac is their leader now?" Tenten couldn't believe that he would be selected as the next Kazekage.

"Well, all I know is that he calmed down significantly after the Chuunin exam war. And now that the Sand is allied with Konoha they will prove to be powerful allies." Shiro was blunt and to the point as usual.

"Anyways, before we leave there is something that needs to be done," Shiro exclaimed as he made for the exit. "You two will battle me."

"Yes, yes, yes!!" Naruto was clearly ecstatic that he would finally get to see what his sensei was capable of. Tenten on the other hand was the more sensible one. Shiro was obviously out of their league. Combine that with the fact that she is not allowed to use weapons nor Naruto his shadow clones, and compound that with the weights they are still bound by and this fight was clearly rigged.

By now the three were standing facing each other off for the impeding fight. Naruto was right next to Tenten, fingering his kunai. Tenten was adopting a defensive stance she had learned from Naruto the week before. Shiro spoke up…

"You two may take off your weights and use whatever jutsus you may know. I will limit myself to taijutsu. This oughtta limit the playing field some."

His two students took off their weights with a fury and found a different stance. Tenten and himself had been working on a few of her stellar strategies. Tenten was now directly behind Naruto with his right arm behind him and his left in front with his knees bent in a classic kung fu stance. Shiro immediately recognized the Chinese influence in this stance, obviously brought on by Tenten.

Shiro lazily grabbed the pear shaped gourd hanging on his belt and took a swig of the clear, strong liquid. He then, went loose at the knees and his arms swung around, an uneasy stance that more looked like he was inebriated.

Naruto didn't wait for anything, instead he signaled for Tenten to start by beginning to swirl chakra around in his right hand. Tenten put her two hands over Naruto's and attempted to keep the chakra from leaking out. Naruto now had a perfectly formed rasengan in his hand and proceeded to charge Shiro.

Shiro smirked. So he had found a way around his lack of clones. He wondered what else this pair may have up their sleeves. This should be interesting.

As Naruto lunged, Tenten multiplied into five of herself. She then proceeded to surround Shiro, right behind the charging Naruto. Shiro went to grab Naruto's arm to avoid the deadly rasengan. He would really have to teach the boy that this was not a move you started off with in battle and in such a direct an obvious attack. No matter the exponential chakra he may contain, it was still bad strategy and could get him killed. During this thought something that rarely happens, occurred.

Shiro experienced the sensation of genuine surprise.

His hand had gone straight through Naruto as he had tried to block. It was a mere bunshin.

Now he was occupied with six Tenten's and had no idea as to where Naruto may be. So started his process of elimination. Attacking two of the bunshins he found them to be fake, despite the kunai being thrown at him from another direction. He did notice in this fray that one of the Tenten's was standing back. The real one was probably still lacking in her hand-to-hand skills to attempt a direct confrontation.

Good, but not nearly good enough.

Shiro had determined Tenten's presence. All he had to do now was trap and subdue her to draw out Naruto. Shiro ran with surprising speed to Tenten's side and proceeded to put her into chokehold when that unfamiliar sensation overcame him once more.

Another bunshin.

Fooled once shame on you. Fooled twice shame on me.

Shiro began to turn around to see a rasengan coming right at him. It was held by one of the Tenten's he had ignored in favor of attacking the more self defensive Tenten, logically believing that she would be the real McCoy. He had not imagined such a cunning plan from these genin. Or perhaps he had just not expected it from Naruto.

Despite his surprise Shiro was able to block the rasengan without too much effort. He knew now that this Tenten was actually Naruto under the disguise of a clever henge. Meanwhile, the true Tenten was still intermingled with three of two of her remaining bunshin. She had helped him form the rasengan and formed bunshins.

The way they had integrated their strengths and weaknesses was more than Shiro could have hoped for at this point. Maybe the Godaime was right, this blonde brat had limitless potential…

And this girl. She had obviously come up with the tactics for the short, yet ingenious plan. Yet she had not just stopped at using her own strategies. She had incorporated Naruto's old strategy of using kage bunshins, bit instead used bunshins to evoke mass havoc and confusion. It had worked perfectly and had Shiro been any other Chuunin or a weak Jounin he would probably not be standing. For despite the fact that he had deflected the rasengan, his two students had barely broken a sweat and the illusion of the bunshins was still active.

Genius, pure genius. What is her IQ anyway? And is Naruto just acting the part of the fool?

Shiro relaxed his stance and began clapping, earning confused faces from his students.

"Very good, very good. This fight is over. You two have passed the first part of your training, congratulations…"

"This was a test?" Naruto was rubbing the back of his head and had an embarrassed stupid look on that face of his.

"Yes, it was. Many things in your life as shinobi will be tests, even if you never know about it. This test was to test your functions as a two man unit. I also wanted to see how far you had come physically with the weight training I assigned you from day one. That and several other technical things that I won't bore you kids with. The point is though, you two passed and now you can move onto the next stage of training."

To Shiro's chagrin Tenten was hopping up and down right along with Naruto at the thought of new training and maybe new techniques. She was an interesting girl, calm and collected one minute, then loud and animated enough to compete with Naruto the next.

"You will both be learning your own taijutsu styles starting from now."

Tenten looked excited about this, but Naruto was not so thrilled.

"What about ninjutsu? I want to learn some new techniques."

"Don't worry Naruto, I have just the thing for you."

同时。。。

'That bastard!' Naruto was still fuming as he walked. He was kicking rocks in his path out of spite for Shiro. First he compliments them on their fight, something he had failed to do often if at all before that incident, and then he goes off and…

'That freakin' bastard!' Naruto still had not found out what that special thing was that Shiro had prepared for him and he hated suspense. He would rather get something over with there and then, no matter the circumstances. Waiting for a verdict was just… impossible!

_(Flashback)_

After their fight he gave them the rest of the day off, but he talked to Tenten for hours afterwards. He wanted to know all about how she had succeeded in helping with the rasengan. Naruto was able to throw in a few snippets of information, but Shiro was more interested in hearing Tenten's lively explanation. Then he went on and on about her techniques with weapons. When Naruto complained about being ignored, Shiro just shooed him away, claiming something about knowing Naruto's potential, but not Tenten's.

This just left Naruto angry and… lonely. Walking off that late afternoon by himself to the stream he and Tenten visited prior, he sat on the edge with his bare feet dangling in the in water. He splashed at fish to distract himself from his own thoughts. But distractions would only work for so long.

He had been alone for so long in his life. And when he hadn't been alone he was ridiculed or beaten or both. Even after he joined the academy and then Team Seven was formed, he was still alone to some extent. Sure he had Iruka, Sandaime at the time, Kakashi, and even Sakura and Sasuke tolerated him, there was still a deep hole in his heart. He still came home to an empty home… no, an empty house cannot be called a home.

He had made several people he considered friends, including the rookie nine and Gai's team. He even realized that Gaara and him had a special connection now. And he had friends in different towns like Tazuna and his family back in Wave Country, but he needed something tangible. He could relish his memories of good times, but at the end of the day when there was no one else, he was alone… just like right now.

These past few months had seemed great. Shiro was like a drunken uncle. Sorta like Kakashi and Jiraiya combined minus the perversion. Was that even possible? Nevermind.

And Tenten… she was… what was she? She was definitely his friend. They both acknowledged each other as such with their blatant trust and the fun times they shared. She was something Sakura had never tried to be for him. She was more a teammate in these three months that Sasuke or Sakura had ever been for him.

Naruto laughed to himself in a sarcastic way that only those that have tasted bittersweet love can know.

Sakura.

When had he started to refer to her as simply Sakura? He didn't know but perhaps it was for the best. He had known since his excursion to rescue Sasuke that their was no future for Sakura and himself. Her heart was wholly devoted to another. Naruto still loved her, he would not lie to his own heart. But that love was shifting to something more healthy finally. It was not complete, but it was a start. He had always wanted her to be happy. To see that carefree smile on her face. But there was a real difference between the then and now.

Then he wanted to be the sole person to produce that smile. He wanted to be the one she leaned on for strength. He wanted to be asked out on dates by her. He wanted to adore and be adored by her. He had wanted to be like Sasuke to her..

Now he knew that this was simply a dream… a covetous dream, but a dream nonetheless. He still wanted her to be happy, to experience a full and long life, but he was content to know that he would play a secondary and not primary role in her happiness. He would still take a kunai to the heart for her without a second's thought, but he would not let his heart die alone, wishing for a dream he had already awoken from.

"You look pretty serious."

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned to see that Tenten was now sitting next to him, her feet in the water as well.

"What are you doing sneaking up on a guy like that. I nearly had a heart attack… and I doubt you would have performed the CPR to bring me back to life! Sheesh!"

Tenten couldn't help but develop a blush from that mental image. What was going on with her.

'Nevermind that thought Tenten! Your heart is for Neji remember? That hot sexy, whisker… NO! Neji, Neji, Neji, Naruto, Neji…. DOH!"

"Hello, Tenten… Konoha to Tenten, Konoha to Tenten…" Naruto was waving his hands in front of Tenten's face, but getting frustrated with her lack of attention. So he dipped his hand into the water and brought a good wave of water into her face and lap.

"Eekkk!"

"Eekkk?"

"Naruto!"

Next thing Naruto knew he had been pushed into the stream, clothes and all. After coming up above the surface of the water a dangerous gleam could be seen in his eyes from a mile away. Tenten knew what to expect, but couldn't get her feet out of the water fast enough. Guess that weight training wasn't perfect after all.

Suddenly she realized where she was. The water was over her head and it was only at this time that she remembered that she couldn't swim. The panic set in, but only lasted for a moment. For at that moment a pair of strong hands pulled her up and onto his back.

"There, you stay there… Can't have you drowning on me now can I."

The fear was gone as quick as it had come. Tenten was comfortable with her Naruto chair and the trust that was building between them was more than either realized.

"No, because if I drown then you would have to spar with Shiro and he would kick your ass, drunk or not!"

For that comment Naruto dove under the water, submersing Tenten as well. When they came back up Tenten found herself giggling instead of screaming, surprising both herself and Naruto. Still, Naruto would never ruin the moment, dense as he may be.

And they stayed like this the next hour, cracking jokes at one another's expense, splashing water everywhere, laughing the whole time. Finally they found themselves laying spread out on the grass, drying off in the setting sun. They were both spread out, their heads inches away from the other's and their feet pointing out opposite. They stayed like this for as long as possible before they had to finally head back.

_(End Flashback)_

Once again, Naruto found himself in the present world, A cruel world in which Tenten was tugging at his blonde locks…

"Itai, Tenten-chan!"

"Its about time you listened. I've been calling your name for two minutes now."

"Hehe," Naruto gave his nervous laugh and put on a huge smile. "I guess I just zoned out there."

'Naruto, I hate that fake smile of yours. What are you hiding?'

" So Tenten," now the one interrupting her thoughts. "What did you want." Naruto had purposely put more pep in his step, trying to dissuade her from thinking that anything might be wrong with him. If only she knew the truth and how much was so wrong… so terribly wrong. But for now his smile would cover his pains. She did not need to carry this. Sure, she was is friend and he trusted her tremendously, but he did not want to burden her with his pains. She was an orphan and had plenty of her own to bear.

The mask was cracking. Naruto knew it. As she got closer to him in a way no one his age ever had, she was bound to see the real him one day and then he would have to come clean. No, no. He can't come clean!

'Her parents were killed in the freakin' Kyuubi attack!'

If he told her… if he dared to lower his mask and tell the whole truth, and nothing but… he knew what the outcome would be.

"Well, Naruto. I wanted to ask you to teach me a technique."

"Shoot."

"You know the Kage Bunshin jutsu, which is a jounin level technique. I was wondering if you knew the kunai kage bunshin technique as well?"

"Eh, I don't know that. I only read that forbidden scroll and learned one technique, hehe." Naruto was rubbing the back of his head again. He hated to admit his insufficiencies, but there was nothing to it. If he didn't know it then he didn't know it.

"I will teach you."

"Shiro-sensei?"

"I am your teacher am I not?" Shiro asked. Tenten had not noticed, but he had been listening in the whole time. His odd colored hair was matted from the sweat provided from the heat of the day. Also, he looked just as disheveled as that first day she saw him, if not a little more now. Still, he was smiling at her like he had not anytime before.

'What's gotten into him?' Tenten wondered to herself.

"Sensei! Sensei! What about me sensei? I need a new technique to learn." Naruto was livid with energy. It practically dripped off of him when it came to new jutsus or his well known love for that noodly substance known as his beloved ramen.

"You do need something new to learn, so something new I will give you…"

"YATTA!"

".. After you perfect the rasengan."

"YATT… NANI?!"

"You heard me straight. You are still cheating when you use that technique."

"But I have Tenten-chan to help me." Unbeknownst to either of the males, Tenten giggled at the fact that Naruto used that affectionate suffix for her even in the middle of a soon to be heated debate.

"Yes, you do have her to help you, but you cannot use her as a crutch. You are very fortunate that she has the chakra control that she does. What happens though, Naruto, when the time comes in a battle that she cannot aid you with your rasengan? What happens when you need to form it in such a quick manner to save her life? What will you do then?"

Naruto had no answer.

"Naruto. When you were taught the rasengan you were told of its legacy, correct?"

Naruto nodded his head. Meanwhile Tenten's ears perked up.

"Yondaime created this technique and after him only two have ever had the skill to learn it. Your other sensei, Jiraiya-sama and yourself Naruto."

'WHAT?' Tenten didn't know that was such an elite jutsu. She had seen him form it, but she had yet to see him use it in battle successfully. What was it truly capable of?

"Naruto, what is the 46th rule of shinobi conduct?"

"Ehh, err…."

"Stealth and deceit are the two most single defining factors between a good shinobi and a dead one."

Naruto stared at Tenten, wondering how she could possibly have known that, but she just shrugged it off.

"Correct. Naruto, one of the strongest abilities of the rasengan is not its destructive capabilities, but the surprise a well placed rasengan can provide. When perfected, you should be able to create a rasengan in each hand with little thought given to the actual process. It should come so naturally, that your hands feel wrong without chakra flowing from them."

"Naruto, you must learn this to protect yourself (with this Shiro gave Naruto a knowing look that only he caught) and Tenten. You may even have to protect me one day with that technique."

Naruto had a sobered look on his face. He knew it was important to learn that blasted technique, but the final adjustment was proving so difficult for him. He just could not grasp it. He hated making handicaps for himself and vowed never to do that again… never again.

"Besides, perfecting this stage of the rasengan will train you for the first stage of the new jutsu I will teach you. A jutsu that has only ever been performed by ONE person in this world. If you learn it, you will be the only other person to have ever learned it. It is called…"

Naruto was on the edge of his proverbial seat. Tenten was practically drooling at the opportunity Naruto was being given.

"Oh look, there is the border town."

Naruto and Tenten both hung their heads down in defeat. Cursed Shiro. His only joy in life seemed to be torturing his students with never-ending suspense. After one answer was given, two more questions would pop up in its place. It was a never-ending, multiplying conundrum built to drive the two slowly insane.

Oh, and it was working… sorta.

"I bet they have ramen here Naruto."

Naruto's ears perked up and Tenten's head hung even lower. It wasn't bad enough that their teacher changed the subject in such a blatant fashion, but Naruto actually fell for it. Tenten had only one last thought as she was drug quite unwillingly by Naruto into the town on his quest for his beauteous ramen:

'That freakin' bastard'


	5. 五

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Five:**

Tenten awoke from her comfortable slumber to the sound of birds chirping on her windowsill. Last night had been the first time she had been able to sleep in a real bed (she did NOT consider that worn out mattress in the old shack a bed) in too long a time. Now that she awoke, she found herself wishing that she had not. Not only was she awake much earlier than she should be, since she had the week off from training, but their was a nasty feeling in her lower back. It couldn't be helped that she woke up so early, she had been waking up at this time for months now, so her body was adjusted to it. Did that explain why she felt so sore right now too? Maybe her body had adjusted to sleeping on a hard surface and this sudden shift to a fluffy mattress was too much.

Besides these minor discomforts, the day was looking bright. Outside, the sun was just rising and oh how Tenten loved a sunrise. It was a fresh start, a new outlook and another day to prove herself. Everything was looking great.

So, Tenten hurried and took a shower before getting dressed in semi-clean clothes.

"I'll have to do laundry today," Tenten thought outloud to herself before heading out her hotel room. She took an immediate right and headed to the room adjacent to her own. This was where Naruto was staying. The night before Shiro had actually listened to Tenten and heeded that she should have her own room for at least one night. But now, she was hoping against all hope that Naruto was awake.

For so long Tenten had lived alone in this world, raised herself and trained by herself until she was placed on her genin team. But even then she was alone much of the time. Lee was off with Gai-sensei doing some weird training sessions, and when Neji and her did not train, she was left to herself. After all this time she still believed herself to be the independent one. The kunoichi who did not depend on other's strength.

Tenten would never admit that she needed someone, especially someone as dopey as Naruto. Well, 'dopey' is a bad way to think of him actually. That is what the old Tenten would have thought about him, the Tenten that truly did not know his character. Now that she had lived with him, trained with him, eaten with him, joked with him, and generally been his companion for so long now, by themselves, she should no longer think the same way.

Naruto was… different. He is so loud, yet quiet about important things and his past. She still did not know enough about him. She knew he was an orphan, but not exactly how. She knew that he loved ramen and the color orange, but why? Why does Naruto act so cheerful sometimes and yet so solemn at other times? What motivates him to continue? Why does he never talk about his childhood? And the most important question: Why does she not remember him? Tenten had been living in the same apartment for so long and they were so close to each other, why had they not met and hung out earlier? What did he do before he became a ninja?

Nevertheless, these thoughts may have been plaguing Tenten's mind, but there were more pressing matters. Those being that she was awake and needed to wake Naruto. Did she need to wake him for training? No, they were off for the week. So why doesn't she just allow him to sleep in? He definitely deserves it and would probably appreciate the extra snooze, so why did Tenten suddenly find herself at his door?

Tenten's hand froze at the door handle. Why was she waking him up?

This was a moment, an epiphany if you will, that happens so rarely in everyday life. At one moment you are walking around, minding your own business and then this idea pops into the consciousness of your head. It goes something like this:

'Whoa, wait a minute. I am breathing right now. When I think about moving my right hand, it moves. I am alive. I can move. I have a name. Why am I here? Why do I exist? What is important to me? Why am I breathing?'

Tenten had one of these moments, but not so generic as the one above. Instead, she thought,

'Why am I waking Naruto? He needs the sleep and it sure is early. But I need to wake him up, I mean, he is my partner. But when did I think of that in such a co-dependent manner? Why am I depending on Naruto so much? He is just that blond headed idiot I train with, right? Right. No, that's not right. He is the guy that watches out for me. He is helping me learn to swim even when I didn't ask him to. And he doesn't make fun of me for that inability like Neji would. Naruto…… cares. Why?'

And then the ultimate thought entered her head. A question that would haunt her the rest of the day and beyond…

'Why do I care?'

Tenten shook the thoughts out her head and opened the door. She did not even take the time to knock. She knew that if Naruto was asleep, that knocking at his door would only be in vain. And he was asleep for sure she noticed upon entering the room.

There he lay, halfway on the floor and the bed. His head had found its way to the floor and was using his shoes as a temporary pillow. Meanwhile his legs were still propped up on the bed somehow in what looked to be an extremely painful position. Tenten giggled to herself when she observed that Naruto was actually drooling in his sleep and that drool was ending up in his right sandal. What a sight to see.

Tenten did the sensible thing, the thing that any caring female would do… she kicked Naruto square in the chest.

"Naruto, wake up!"

"Uuugghh… itai, what was that?" Naruto was now completely on the floor, his goofy sleeping cap flopped in front of his face. He lifted it away from his eyes to see Tenten standing over him, her hands on her hips, tapping her foot in impatience at Naruto.

"Well?"

"Well what? You woke me up."

"Aren't we going to go to breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" Naruto yawned loudly.

"Yes, that meal people eat in the morning Naruto. Didn't you say yesterday you wanted to take me to breakfast today?"

Naruto let out another monstrous yawn. He didn't remember saying any such thing, but Tenten usually remembered things like this better than him. Maybe he said it nonchalantly yesterday thinking she would turn him down like Sakura always did…

Wait!!

When did he start thinking if Tenten in the same light as Sakura… chan.

Meanwhile, Tenten was looking on in amusement at the befuddled Naruto. His face at first took on a look of trying to remember when he said that he would take her out for breakfast. Then he had a surprised look on his face followed by one of pure horror. It was almost too much to take.

"Naruto, " Tenten said trying to suppress a giggle at the stupefied boy, "I'll wait outside for you to get dressed, but hurry up. I'm starving!"

Naruto broke out of his inner turmoil at his newest discovery that he was still far from understanding and began the process of getting into his orange outfit. It was a little tight on him now he had noticed. Was he growing or was it shrinking… Oh how he hoped that the prior was true and not the latter.

Naruto was now out the door in a shot and almost ran smack into a waiting Tenten. She glanced up just in time to see him tumbling toward her and stepped out of the way, allowing him to fall headlong down the stairs.

He never actually said the day before that he would take her out to breakfast. But Tenten wasn't going to let him catch onto that. She had to take advantage of his thick skull somehow. Besides, he would kill her if he found that out.

同时。。。

After a very filling breakfast (that subsequently Naruto's wallet, Gama-chan, was not happy about) the two walked around the medium sized town, searching for nothing in particular. They had the day off from training and neither had anything else to do, so it was natural to just wander.

The border town had many merchants passing to and fro, and thus had a nice open air market to enjoy. Tenten asked a few passer-bys where the best place to shop was and they simply responded that they should wait until nighttime. That was when the open market really went into full-swing. So for the moment being, Naruto and Tenten searched for somewhere else to go.

Naruto had been trying to sneak off to find a good training spot, but Tenten would just yank him back by his collar. Naruto was still frustrated to no belief that he couldn't perfect the one handed rasengan, and until he could Shiro would not teach him that awesome new jutsu. It just wasn't fair! He could work on both. And he should be using this time to practice, day off or not.

Tenten had other ideas. She had missed just walking around a town and enjoying the sights. And despite Naruto's antics, he was a good guy to wander around with. He was goofy and loud and went ballistic every time they saw a new ramen stand, but he was genuine. He actually opened doors for her, something Neji would have never done. And he had bought her breakfast that morning without any complaint (if you don't count the sigh he gave towards his smaller wallet).

As Naruto was attempting to sneak off once more, Tenten turned around to catch him, but failed. He was off like a bullet and running towards a path in the woods. Tenten was right behind him, keeping pace quite well. They had both gained a lot of speed, but having to wear those cursed weights even on their off days still made the going slow. Still, neither one noticed, but they now ran as fast with the weights on, as they previously had without weights at all. They were growing in leaps and bounds, whether they knew it or not.

After running about half a mile, Naruto came to a dead stop. Tenten ran right into the back of him, tipping him over a giant hill, that they just happened to be on the edge of. What followed were two bodies and many limbs flailing, tumbling, rolling and falling down the side of a grassy, yet steep hill. They came to a stop in quite a compromising position.

Naruto had ended up on his back and somehow underneath Tenten as he had been pushed first. He was panting, tired from the run and the tumble down the hill, and having all of Tenten's weight (including her additional weights) on his chest did not help his breathing.

Tenten was right on top of Naruto's stomach. Her legs were to his side, and if it had not been for her hands catching herself right when they did, their faces would have met as well. As it was, Tenten was leaning on her arms, staring Naruto in the face, only inches from his face.

Both of them were trying to catch their breath and both were equally stunned. Tenten had certainly not seen the cliff ahead of them and Naruto had not expected her to push him and herself down it. Least of all, they did not expect to end up like this.

Naruto's face was burning red, some of it from exhaustion of course, but honestly, Tenten had trained with him for months now and had never seen him this red. Did she have this affect on him, or was he just that innocent. She figured it was probably some of both. She hoped it was some of both.

Naruto had expected Tenten to slap him as soon as they ended up on top of each other, but Tenten was just staring down at him, like she was trying to fit the pieces of a complex puzzle together. She was so close to him… and did he see a blush on her face? No, she had to be just tired from the unexpected run.

"Tenten-chan…" Naruto barely whispered, whether it was from embarrassment or true lack of oxygen he didn't even know.

"Naruto…kun…"

Tenten jumped up when she realized what she just said. At this moment Naruto took a huge gulp of air. She did not realize she had been weighing him down that much… Well, she was wearing all her weights, but still.

'No wait,' Tenten thought. 'You are changing the subject. You just said Naruto-kun… You can't call him Naruto-kun… he's.. he's… Naruto… kun.'

And then it hit her. He really was not just Naruto anymore. She had grown closer to him than she was aware of. Calling him Naruto-kun seemed as natural as breathing, and she wasn't planning on holding her breath any longer. She wasn't sure what these feelings exactly were but she was going to figure them out. Naruto was still just a friend… right?

"Tenten, you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean… wait…"

Then it hit Naruto what she said.

"Did you just call me Naru…"

Tenten jumped in, grapping his shirt and spinning him around before he could finish his question.

"Look, a small river!"

"Yeah, but Tenten, did you…"

"Let's swim."

"Tenten, you can't swim… remember." Naruto wanted his answer, but he was going about the wrong way to get it.

His stating her inadequacy in such a blatant way hurt. She didn't know why it hurt so much but it did. Just like someone calling her stupid, but not just someone. It was Naruto.

"Oh, ok." Tenten stated plainly and turned to walk back. The excitement completely drained from her.

"EH?"

"Its ok Naruto, you can train or swim or do whatever you want."

At this point Naruto realized what he had done. He was dense but he knew that she enjoyed their swimming lessons. Even if all that she did was hang onto him and never swim by herself, but he was more than content with that. Realizing what a jerk he had been, he knew what he had to do.

Naruto grabbed Tenten by the back of her shirt. He then spun her into his arms. She looked up expectantly, almost longingly at him, but he didn't notice this. Tenten thought she was about to receive an apology hug or something of that matter. Instead what she got was being pulled into a bear hug she couldn't escape before she was sent head first into the water with Naruto dragging her down.

"NARUTO!"

"Haha, yeah Tenten-chan?"

Tenten was hanging onto the embankment, fighting against her added weight in order to stay above the water.

"Warn me next time eh?"

She then pulled herself onto shore. Naruto thought she was going to run off. He hadn't meant to screw things up again, he just didn't know any other way to get her to stay. He thought she would understand.

Instead of walking off though, Tenten proceed to take off her leg and arm weights. She wore her weight vest under her shirt though, so getting rid of it would be slightly more… difficult.

"Naruto, turn around."

Naruto turned to her to see her unbuttoning the top buttons of her Chinese shirt. He then grabbed his nose and quickly turned around.

Tenten laughed to herself as she got the wet shirt off and the vest was on the ground. She had actually counted on finding a swimming hole today and had worn her bathing suit under her clothes just for this occasion.

"Its ok Naruto."

He turned around expecting her to still have on her wet shirt, but when he found her in a bikini top… even an extremely modest one, he was shocked. He had already rid himself of his weights while she was changing and was back in the water. Naruto didn't know what to do or say. That was ok though, as Tenten knew exactly what to do.

She climbed back into the water and pushed off of the side of the creek to end up clinging to Naruto for her life. She could swim a little better now, having overcome most of her fears, but she still could not cross this river on her own. So she hung onto a still stunned Naruto.

Tenten giggled at his red face and transferred herself to his back, her personal swimming perch. And that was where she stayed for the next couple of hours as they swam back and forth, enjoying he cool water and each other's conversation. In between the talking, Tenten would rest her head on top of Naruto's. Naruto was already used to this, as she had done it every time that they had swam together. For Tenten, this was different someway now.

Naruto… no, Naruto-kun was no longer just that guy she trained with. He was no longer just the blonde haired brat that was always chasing Sakura and challenging Sasuke. She may not have been on his team, but any idiot could see those actions. No, now she knew the truth. She knew that Naruto was strong. And where he was not strong, he strived to be so. He may be dense, but at least he is kind, a rare trait in any ninja. And Naruto was not just a training partner. He was her friend. Maybe even her closest friend. She had known Neji and Lee longer, but they had never been so close. They had never taken her to breakfast. They had never taught her to swim. No, he was definitely her Naruto-kun…

And as she rested her head upon his, she pondered all these things and more. And she would let out a contented sigh every now and then, almost falling asleep to the cool touch of water on her skin and the rhythmic motion of Naruto's swimming. She was just that comfortable and secure in Naruto's arms.

Naruto could feel Tenten drifting off on his back and decided it was time to call it a day. She he hauled the both of them back to shore and lay just like they always had after swimming. Their heads right next to each other, facing opposite directions.

They both lay there, completely content to dry off in the afternoon sun, resting their weary muscles.

And as they lay, admiring the silence, Tenten said only one thing.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

同时。。。

Shiro had spent the day off in the village. He had the day to himself and since his students seemed to have run off without his permission, he had little to do. He would have to scold them later, maybe give then both a good whop on the head. Tenten may not know, but Naruto should know that he is being hunted. Not just by mere ninjas, but by the Atkatski. They were a force to be dealt with, and he could not fall into their hands. That was why he had to be more careful. Tenten should probably know about this too actually…

Shiro sighed. Naruto would never tell her his secret. He had too much to lose and he probably figured she wouldn't accept him. What a baka, of course she would be ok with his secret. It wasn't like it was his fault, plus he was doing everybody good by holding that fox within himself. She would understand and still care for him… speaking of that, Shiro wondered what exactly what was going on between the two. They seemed a lot closer nowadays.

"It can't be helped I guess. Just more ammunition for me to mess with them, that's all." Shiro spoke to himself as he made his way out the door.

He then beat himself up internally. What a hypocrite he was. How could he force Naruto to share such a deep, dark secret with Tenten if not even Shiro had the balls to fess up. He had his own confessions to make to Tenten, yet was also afraid what she might think.

The great Shiro Doragon, afraid of a little genin girl. What had the world come to?

Despite his lazy nature, today he did have one chore to attend to. And it was better if his students were not there to see it. Walking towards the outskirts of the town, he spied what he believed to be a sake bar. He had been there before, many years ago when he had traveled through this same town. A lot had changed, but this bar had not. It's the little things that Shiro tended to take comfort in.

Shiro walked in, taking a seat in a booth in the far back. The lighting was dim and the general sparse crowd even darker, but Shiro was not bothered by the heavy atmosphere. He may have appeared to be nothing but a lazy gypsy, traveling here and there, but those who know him both feared and respected what he had accomplished and what he was still capable of.

Shiro ordered a round of sake for himself. He had already eaten while walking around town, trying to take his mind off of the past and resolve what the future was to hold. For now, he just needed to wet his mouth with the drink he had come to love.

"Damn Tsunade for getting me hooked on this stuff," He mumbled incoherently under his breath. That was a story for another time and place.

"I see you still blame that old wench eh?"

Shiro tensed, having not sensed the presence next to him sooner, but considering who this legendary man was that he was meeting, it was to be expected.

Besides, why should he fear the legendary super pervert?

"Oi, Jiraiya, glad you showed. You want a drink?" Shiro was visibly relaxed in his old friend's presence. It had been too long since they had seen each other, under favorable circumstances or not.

"Don't mind if I do," Jiraiya leered at the waitress and made several hand motions. Not all of the hand motions were perverted mind you, but there were enough so that the waitress knew the old, white haired man was not just asking for a second glass.

After receiving the sake cup and a slap from the waitress, Jiraiya threw his arms of the back of the booth in the most relaxed manner he could.

"So, how is the brat treating ya?"

"He is a loud mouth idiot who doesn't know when to shut up or give up that's for sure." Shiro took another swig of his alcohol.

"Hehe, glad we think alike!"

"Yes, and the girl is formidable in her own right. She has the brains to go with Naruto's brawns. And they are developing each other quite nicely. Better than I had hoped for at least."

"Yeah," Jiraiya leaned forward now a serious look on his face. "Yet it is still early on in their training. If you are going to teach Naruto what I think you are planning on, his life is about to get a whole lot rougher."

"He'll handle it." Shiro responded bluntly.

"Naruto… he really does remind you of _him_ doesn't he?"

Shiro looked right into Jiraiya's eyes and replied,

"Its actually quite scary the resemblance. Looking at his current power and his father's power at his peak, there is little Naruto could not accomplish. Still, if the wrong people were to find out…"

"They already have I am afraid."

Shiro flinched. Shiro never flinched.

"Come again."

"They know Shiro. The Atkatski have defunct members from Konoha, remember? They have ways of digging into our past that outsiders would never have. I recently confirmed this from one of my contacts when she came to me with a wild bewildered look on her face. That contact, you should see her… ahem… any way. She couldn't believe that this blonde hair brat was related to _him _either."

"All this being said," Jiraiya continued. "Life is going to be harder for the all of you. They are going to be more strict on finding Naruto's whereabouts. They do not want him to tap into his true power. Even they feared his father when he still lived."

Shiro just moaned.

Jiraiya reached over and slapped in on his back.

"Hey, that's why you got me remember? I'll be watching your backs and checking up on new info relevant to your mission. All you need to do is make sure that the three of you are prepared for whatever may be ahead. And stay low. I know you were planning on entering them in the Chuunin exams when you arrived in Sand, but I advise against it. You desperately need to keep out of the public eye for now. At least until Naruto has mastered _it_. As for this girl…"

"I will handle Tenten."

Jiraiya gave Shiro a knowing look.

"You still blame yourself for leaving her behind in Konoha all these years don't you?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Shiro spat out in utter disgust at his old decisions.

"You know as well as I do that it couldn't be helped. The only one who blames you is yourself. It was very trying times back in the war. And with Kyuubi coming around when he did, and the repercussions of that… you did what you had to do."

Shiro let out a long sigh.

"I just cannot forget this sin I carry. The sin of leaving behind my only relative. Add that to the sin of leaving behind my best friend's son in a village that I knew would grow to spite him more everyday and I have a very heavy burden to carry."

"You do not carry it alone friend. Do not forget that," Jiraiya said in one his very rare, very somber moods.

"How strong is she anyway?" Jiraiya was curious to know what the young kunoichi was capable of.

"She is strong Jiraiya. She doesn't realize it yet. That's to be expected though, she never knew her family or the power they held. If our clan still existed, she would be the prodigy. Her potential easily rivals my own."

Jiraiya was stunned to say the least. Shiro was known throughout the ninja countries for his feats. He was the hero in several legends that still circulated the lands, though he took on a different name in each tale. Jiraiya was one of the few privileged to know most of what the secretive Shiro had accomplished in his life and what his true powers were capable of. To say that this young girl had the same potential if not more… what a power team she and Naruto would make.

"What are your plans for now Shiro?"

"We will continue heading north, further into Wind country. There I will meet with my sensei. Once he sees Naruto there is no way he will deny him as a student. During that time I will train Tenten personally. Through this, they will both learn their clan techniques."

"How long will the training take?"

"Typically it would take years, if not decades. Our techniques and Naruto's family techniques are hardly trivial. Naruto and Tenten will have one year."

"Is it even possible within a year?"

Shiro looked Jiraiya dead in the eye.

"With these two, I have no idea what is not possible. They just haven't realized this fact themselves yet. When they do though, the Atkatski, the world had better watch out. They are legends waiting to be molded, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya nodded his head in that goofy way he does when you can tell he is thinking about other… perverted things. Shiro noticed this and decided to entice Jiraiya with one last tidbit of knowledge.

"And Jiraiya… she has _it_."

"She has what?" Jiraiya asked, clearly not getting the hint, especially with all those perverted thoughts about that waitress floating around in his head.

"The kunai."

Jiraiya still looked dumbfounded until it hit him.

"How… how did she get her hands on such a thing? There were supposed to be none of those left. The last person capable of making them died in the Kyuubi attack."

"I know that well Jiraiya. I have no idea how it has come into her possession. It makes me wonder how any of this could be mere coincidence."

Both Jiraiya and Shiro spent much of the night drinking and telling old stories. War stories, stories of loved ones passed and excursions of perversion that only the two of them would appreciate. Jiraiya even came out of the conversation with several new ideas for his latest and greatest book.

Shiro had decided something else that night. Naruto and Tenten could not stay ignorant of their own pasts for much longer. All three of them had secrets and due to the startling news from Jiraiya about their enemies, they would have to trust each other more than ever now.

The secrets would have to come out.


	6. 六

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Six:**

There is something…wrong about the world today. Something… not right. In a world where greater demons and lesser demons roamed, one would imagine that it would not be difficult for their prey to rally together. It would be foolish to fight one another, even if naturally enemies, when there is a greater enemy present. This logic seemed to fall upon deaf ears.

In a world where evil was widespread and well-known, though covered up often, people did not help one another. To treat your neighbor as yourself is as simple as the concept of sharing learned as a child, but just as easily forgotten it seems. In a world so messed up, can nothing be made right? Must all people hate and fear what they simply do not understand? Was that the intelligent thing to do, despite the fact that the misunderstood may in fact be helpful and even life-saving to these ignorant people? Can something, despite its mysterious appearance, not even be given a chance in this world, despite its best intentions?

This was the world that Naruto, container of the nine-tailed demon, Kyuubi, awoke to day after day. He had learned to accept this world and its common hatred as fact and not a mere nightmare that he awoke into. The people and mistrust was a daily part of his life and so ingrained into him that even when genuinely trusted, Uzumaki Naruto would simply not believe it.

Oh, he would disillusion himself for short periods of time that there were those that trusted him. In fact, he had even come to terms, after months and years of the same behavior from an individual, that there were in fact people that actually cared for him, but they were so few and far between that it was hardly worth mentioning in the big scheme of things.

For Naruto this was life.

However, even from his perspective there existed unknowns. There were people that he did not understand and he may accept them at face value, deep down he feared what they may be capable of. His initial trust was given easily and he would lay his life on the line for a mere stranger if their intent was good, but that deep trust, formed by bonds of love was something that he did not give out so easily. How could he be expected to love a person back, even in such a familial manner, when all of his life he had been shown nothing but hate?

Bricks, rocks, and various objects had all been thrown at him out of extreme hatred towards him during his growing years. His tiny apartment had been set on fire several times in its history by angry villagers. His clothing selection had not changed in years since he was not allowed in any store other than the ramen restaurant he frequented, and they did not sell clothes of any sort. In fact, the only other store that he had ever been allowed in was a tiny, hole in the wall weapon shop in a the rundown part of town, which he also lived in. Still they had been quite kind to him whenever he visited.

All of this said, Naruto had a hard time trusting. And this new person in his life was asking him to do just that…

"Naruto all I am saying is that she has to know sometime. It is better now that later."

The trio of Shiro, Naruto and Tenten had been on the road for several more weeks now and had finally arrived at the Sand Village only earlier this morning. This was when the new Kazekage, Gaara, had greeted them at the gates of the village, much to Naruto's surprise and chagrin. He had hoped to reach Hokage before Gaara became leader of his village. Still, it was a reunion for the two boys, joined by their similarities in both hosting demons.

Now though, sitting atop a sand dune on the outskirts of the village, Shiro was prying into Naruto's life… the part of his life he constantly tried to forget.

Naruto, for once, was completely silent. He had a feeling that Shiro had known about his fox friend for sometime now, but he didn't want to admit it. How he knew and the history of his sensei were both still great mysteries for the boy.

"Naruto," Shiro continued more quietly then before. "What does Tenten mean to you?"

The question was a little unexpected on Naruto's side, but it fit in with the conversation in a strange way.

"She is my teammate and my friend… she… she… is different from all the other girls I ever knew. She isn't like Sakura who ignores me. She isn't like Ino who just fawns over that Sasuke-teme. And she isn't like that weird, dark haired girl who follows me around either. She is… Tenten."

"I don't know, she is fun. And even when she hits me for being stupid, I still know that she does it because she is my friend. She doesn't see me as some mere annoyance in her life like my old teammate. Tenten actually wants to train with me and actually _wants_ to goof off with me. She is like a really good friend... Like a best friend I guess."

"I see," Shiro breathed out. He was thinking of what the girl meant to himself as well.

"But sensei, if… if I tell her about Kyuubi, she won't want to be near me anymore. She will go away like everyone else. I remember the darkness I lived in before I had any friends. Before Iruka acknowledged me, before Team Seven. Before the ninja academy I was alone. Everything was dark. It has been getting brighter every day now, especially this whole trip. Being away from Konoha, even though it is my home and I love it, has been good. I don't want to go back to the dark."

Shiro could understand Naruto's plight. Maybe not on a personal level, but he understood where he was coming from. Naruto was worried that Tenten would hate him the moment she found out about the demon sealed up inside of him. Shiro, also was worried what Tenten would think when she found out that he had left her alone in Konoha, despite his best intentions. Their worries were the same in a sense. But Naruto needed to understand what would happen if he didn't tell her.

"Naruto," Shiro began, "Do you remember Jiraiya-sama talking about an organization called the Atkatsuki?"

Naruto scrunched his eyes up and looked at his sensei in what was obviously a look of ignorance. Shiro continued on with his speech.

"They are a group of S-rank missing nins from various Hidden Villages. Sasuke's brother, Itachi is a member."

"Oh yeah, and that shark guy I met with the big, weird sword." Naruto was remembering a fight he had once in a hotel.

"Yes, Kisame as well. They are hunting the bijuu Naruto. They are targeting jinchuuriki like yourself and Gaara-sama. The point is, the likelihood of Atkatsuki coming after us is very great in the next couple of years. They will be after your life Naruto. And they will not hesitate to go through myself or Tenten to get to you."

Naruto face took on several different expressions. First off was one of anger, then it changed to show sadness and… fear, and then it was determination.

"Then I will get stronger so that I can protect you both. I will master rasengan, I will master this next technique you show me, I will master hundreds of techniques, Then I will gain control of Kyuubi's powers and I will protect you both. No one… no one will harm Tenten. I swear it." Naruto spoke with a fierce and adamant voice.

"Naruto, you are right on about learning those techniques. But how, I wonder, will you master the Kyuubi's powers without alarming Tenten? She is a smart girl, you know it and I know it. If your appearance changes and you begin performing all sorts of strange and powerful techniques, I think she will be a little curious. Not to mention, the Kyuubi's chakra has a very specific… scent to it. She will know something is up."

Naruto wanted to have a powerful come-back, but could think of nothing. Shiro-sensei was right. Tenten would know something was up. But her parents were killed by the Kyuubi. How was she going to respond to knowing that that monster was a part of Naruto now?

"Naruto, she has to know. Whether you tell her or I tell her is up to you. Even if neither of us tell her she will realize it. One day you will have to use Kyuubi's power in front of her and then there will be nothing left to hide. She deserves to know. If she is truly your friend as you say, she will understand. She has to!"

Naruto looked a little surprised at his teacher's reaction. Was he trying to convince Naruto or himself? What was Shiro hiding?

"I'll… think about it."

"Well, you had better think fast. We will not be staying in Sand Village for as long as I had first anticipated. We will only be here a few more days. Then we are traveling farther north. "

"Only two days?"

"I am not exaggerating about how badly the Atkatsuki are hunting the greater demons. And you Naruto hold the strongest of them all. They are coming for you, and I fear it will be sooner than anyone expected.

Naruto took a noticeable gulp at this.

"Not to worry though, after we arrive at our final destination which should only be two weeks from now, we will be staying there for a year. We will be well hidden and not have to worry."

With that said, Shiro stood and dusted himself off. He then set off back towards the village.

Naruto was left to think by himself, lying on his back staring at the cloudless sky. Shikamaru would have hated a hot, cloudless day like this he thought. Tenten would probably want to find somewhere to swim. It had become her favorite hobby now. Tenten…

What was he going to do about her?

同时。。。

The market had a funny smell to it as Tenten walked about. It had been like this all afternoon, her constant pursuit of nothing in particular. Really she was just trying to kill time as none of her team seemed to be around. Not to mention this was the first time she had been in this village and did not know her way around. So not only could she not find a decent place to train, she was also unsure where to even begin to look for Naruto and Shiro. That is how she stumbled upon the marketplace.

She had just been wandering aimlessly when a few merchants and their wares caught her eyes. There were many shiny things, some dangling, some protected underneath a pane of glass. Many of the sellers were beckoning her to come and admire their goods, but Tenten continued to wander, entranced at the market like none she had seen in Konoha before.

And so Tenten continued to walk, and as she did so, passing by stalls with items ranging from dried camel meat to fake gold necklaces, Tenten had too much time to think.

'You know, I wonder where we have been headed all this time. Shiro-sensei wouldn't just be leading us on a random journey of sorts would he? He has to have a plan, right? Oh, he better have a plan or he is going to find that nothing compares to the fury of a woman. No, We must be heading somewhere, sensei must have some plans…'

'He seems so quiet! I practically live with two opposites here. I mean on one hand I have Naruto, the never stop, never shut up, always right and always yelling baboon. And in the other hand I have Shiro-sensei who rarely talks, never gets overactive, always sleeps and is constantly drinking. What did I do to deserve all of this!?'

Through her thoughts Tenten realizes that she has completely walked out of the market and somehow ended up in a rather desolate part of the village. There are really no people walking around here, in stark contrast to where she had just been only moment ago. In fact, there really was not much of anything here. The buildings were more spread apart now and most if not all of them appeared to be abandoned.

Just out of the corner of her eye, Tenten saw a flash of orange. It was almost indistinguishable against the backdrop of the golden sand, but she was sure that she had seen something stand out in her peripheral vision. Upon investigation she had found the mystery color. It was Naruto, or more specifically Naruto's jacket.

He was lying on top of a sand dune, just staring at the sky. He was not in his typical care-free pose with his arms crossed behind his neck. No, the position he was in now was almost desperate looking. His arms were straight out as were his legs also just sprawled out from his body. He was simply laying himself out to the sun, allowing it to beat against him.

Tenten approached him slowly as not to alarm his keen senses. No matter, as he did not seem to notice anything presently. All of his guards were down it seemed. So Tenten sat down gently next to him and did what seemed to come naturally. Yet, what came naturally startled not only Naruto out of his reverie, but herself as well. Upon sitting next to the distraught boy, Tenten had placed her hand on top of his own. She then lifted up his arm, laid back and replaced his arm underneath her head as a pillow. It just seemed… natural.

Naruto looked surprised at first at the sudden presence of another person, but he calmed down immediately upon seeing Tenten. It was a little unnerving for her to act so familiar with him in such a physical way, but he did not mind the support right now. Even with such a small act as this.

Tenten was determined to simply wait patiently until Naruto was prepared to open up. Normally she would pound him over the head and tell him to get over it, but right now he really seemed down and out. They lay like this for some time until Naruto was the first to speak up.

"Ten-chan, do you have any secrets?"

"Ano…" What could she say? Everyone has secrets they don't want others to know about. Naruto interrupted her thoughts.

"I don't mean just stupid little secrets… I mean big secrets that could make people hate you if they ever found out. Secrets that are so a part of you, that you are unsure whether they are just a secret or actually who you are. A secret that runs deep into the very core of who you are?"

Tenten turned over and stared at Naruto. She had never heard him be so serious before. What could possibly have him riled up like this?

"We all have secrets Naruto. They are just things we don't want people to know about because they make us ashamed or embarrassed, maybe both sometimes. That's why they are called secrets silly."

Wit that she jabbed him light heartedly in the side to try and cheer him up, but he wasn't buying it. There was something he had to get off his chest.

"Tenten… I mean Ten-chan, I think we are really good friends right? I mean, we fight well together, we have been through a lot of training together, we both enjoy a good prank and I really like swimming with you… I was just wondering… well… What if there was something I wasn't telling you? What if all this time I was someone else?"

"Naruto, what are you talking about?" Tenten was now sitting up looking down at Naruto with worried eyes.

"You are Naruto. You are the same person I have been living with these past few months. You are the one I train with, laugh with… You know…"

Tenten cut herself off, but Naruto needed so desperately to hear what she was planning on saying.

"Ten-chan, what?"

"People always tell me that I have perfect aim," she started off saying slowly. "They have always praised me for my weapons skill. Some people go so far as to call me the 'Weapon Mistress' like I am some prodigy that only comes around once every hundred years. Yeah right, I know the truth. I miss the target more than I like to admit."

At this Naruto looked at her strangely. He had seen her fight, heck, he had even seen her train. He personally had never seen her miss a target. What was she talking about?

"I know what you are thinking Naruto. I've never missed right? Well, I guess that's somewhat true. But I am not talking about knives here. When it comes to life, I miss all the time." Tenten began to tear up as she continued on from here. "I never knew my family, they were all dead before I could remember. I grew up with people watching loosely over me. I have seen people I care about get hurt over and over, just because I was not strong enough. Naruto, I will not let that happen to you…"

The last phrase came out as an almost silent scream. Tenten was running out of steam, but she had to finish what she was planning to say.

"Yes Naruto, I have a secret. Remember that last day we went swimming together?"

Naruto nodded his head dumbly, remembering how gorgeous she had looked in her swimsuit… wait a minute… where that come from? Never mind…

"Well, I had a genjutsu on the whole time."

Naruto looked at her even more dumbly, not knowing what she could possibly be hinting at.

"Naruto, I need you to look very closely, and I swear if you are even the least bit perverted about this I will make you live to regret it until your dying day." Upon saying this she shook her fist at him angrily and then returned to her melancholy tone.

"About a year after I was born, the Kyuubi attacked the village…"

Naruto already didn't like where this was headed. Not only that but Tenten was unbuttoning her shirt. What in the world was going on!?

"I was living toward the outer part of Konoha at this time, right alongside the wall that was broken during Kyuubi's attack," she continued on. "I don't remember it all, but I was told that the house I was living in with my parents was demolished. As they were trying to get me out of there, the Kyuubi slashed blindly and hit me."

Tenten now had the top few buttons undone on her shirt. She was not flashing Naruto, she was just showing him the top portion of her chest. Stretching from her right shoulder to right below her left collar bone was a huge scar. It seemed like it had never really healed, but in fact was almost a fresh wound.

Tenten then began to button up her shirt as she finished her story, with a mild blush that quickly disappeared in the tears that ensued.

"His claw did not hit me directly. My parents both leapt in front of me taking the brunt of the attack. It was that night that I was orphaned and I have lived with this scar as a reminder ever since."

Tenten placed her hand back on Naruto's and looked right through him. Her sad eyes met with his eyes and she saw… fear? She was planning to ask him if his secret could possibly be as bad as hers, but her heart knew immediately that something else was wrong.

"Naruto, what…"

And with that Naruto ran far, far away.


	7. 七

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Seven**:

She had no idea what had just happened. Naruto had been there one moment and the next he was gone. Tenten had been pouring out her heart to him, telling him things she had never told anyone else, not even Lee or Neji. Her tears were still pouring down her cheeks and Naruto had just darted off. What had gone wrong?

Tenten's tears continued to flow as the possibilities continued to tumble through her mind. Was Naruto ashamed of her? Was the scar that bad that he couldn't even stand to be near her anymore? Tenten had long feared that she would finally be close enough to tell someone about her deep, dark secret and that they would not accept it, but she had always thought it was simply a nightmare, something that existed in the plane of dreams, not in the real world. What kind of person…

No. No. That couldn't be right. Tenten knew Naruto and that was not like Naruto. Naruto would never care about something as stupid as a scar. All ninjas had nasty scars littering their bodies; some were worse and some were not in the best of places, but they existed all the same on everyone. Naruto would never condemn a person for something as trivial as a scar. So what was it?

The sun continued to beat down but Tenten would not, or could not, move. As the dry wind blew, sand stuck to her sweaty arms and tear stained cheeks. Still, she could not rise up and chase after Naruto. There was something keeping her tied down. Perhaps it was shame. Shame that she had to hide underneath a collared shirt at all times. Shame that she was not strong enough to protect those around her. Shame that…

"You know, sitting outside, even during a mild sandstorm isn't exactly smart."

Tenten looked up quickly, surprised that she had not heard the approaching footsteps, even in the sand.

"Wow, you do look awful. Wait a minute, I recognize you…"

Tenten looked closer into the face of the stranger. She wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes and stared in the eyes of the girl that had maimed her during the Chuunin Exam.

"Temari." The named came out as a low growl.

"Whoa, hold on there. We are allies of Konoha now. I only did that to you at the time because we were secretly at war. Nothing personal…"

"Tenten."

"Yeah, nothing personal Tenten. Besides if I piss you off, I will never hear the end of it from lazy butt. He is so… troublesome."

"Lazy butt? So you mean…"

"Oh, never mind. So what brings you out here to Sand Village? More specifically, why are you sitting in the middle of a sandstorm, crying and sweating?"

"Well, I…"

"Oh come on, I'm not gonna bite. Look, I don't see anyone else around that you can talk to. And I hear that you came here with two guys, so there are no other girls for you to talk to. Besides, I'm bored."

Tenten wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to this girl. The last time they had met, Temari had practically killed her in a match that was not supposed to be 'to the death'. Now she was sitting next to her, trying to act like a gal pal, talking about something seriously private according to Tenten's thoughts. Still, there wasn't anyone else to talk to. Naruto was obviously not an option. Shiro would either tell her some stupid guy advice or he would just change the subject. Talking to this Sand ninja didn't seem like such a bad idea right now.

"I don't really know where to start." Tenten was trembling, rubbing her hands in front of her in a vain attempt to get some of the crusted sand off of them.

"Just start with how you ended up out here in Gaara's old training ground for one."

"Training ground?"

"Yeah, why did you think there was so much sand and so little people around? Never mind about that, go on with your story."

"Well, I was walking through a market. Somehow I lost track of my surroundings, I guess I was too deep in my own thoughts. Then I ended up here and I saw someone lying in the sand on this dune. I walked up here and saw it was Naruto…"

"Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto?" Temari asked with a little admiration, and was that fear, in her voice.

"Yes, do you know him?" Tenten asked, sniffing her nose as it was running now due to her crying. She realized this was very uncharacteristic of her, but even she was allowed to break down once in a while.

"Well, yes, you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Nev… Never mind, just go on."

"Ok, I saw Naruto and he was lying here, like he was dead. He was staring off into space like it was the end of the world. I tried to talk to him and he brightened up a bit. But then…"

"Then what?"

"Then I told him a secret. He was talking about secrets, about keeping things hidden from people and I figured that to break the ice I would tell him one of my darkest secrets. He obviously needed to get something out, but he wasn't going to talk until I said something first… but then, then he just ran off. Like maybe what I told him scared him off."

"I don't think that could have been…"

"No, you don't understand. I have known Naruto since he graduated from the academy. We have been training together for sometime now. Everyday we eat together, fight together, sweat together, and laugh together. In all my time of knowing Naruto I have never seen that expression on his face. It was like his whole world, everything that was important to him had suddenly fallen apart and he was left alone in the dark."

同时。。。

He had been running for who knows how long. He glanced around himself hurriedly, distraught to find that these buildings were not familiar. He had been leaping on rooftops ever since he ran off from Tenten. Sure, he had alerted a few Sand nins, but they had been too slow to catch up to Naruto. Even with his weight vest on, there were few that could catch him. Not to mention that some of the Kyuubi's features were appearing. The whisker marks on his cheeks had elongated and his claws were growing longer. Only the tiniest amount of the fox's chakra had leaked through, still, his speed showed that it was enough for him to get away.

He finally came to a stop on a cliff. It was a strange, natural phenomenon this cliff. It was out in the middle of the desert, right outside the walls of the village. Maybe cliff was the wrong word, plateau suited it much better seeing as it was perfectly flat on the very top. Naruto found his way to the top easily and sat down at the very edge, peering out over the landscape. It reminded him vaguely of his favorite perch atop the Fourth's head on the Hokage Monument back home. It helped him to calm down and gain control of himself, at least enough so that the Kyuubi's features melted away.

As the adrenaline drained from his body, Naruto came to terms with the harsh truth. Tenten had been affected by the Kyuubi on many fronts from the very start of her life. Her family had been killed in the attack. Not to mention she still bore the scar from that day.

How could she ever care about him if she knew the truth?

Naruto had promised himself that he would never cry. He had done enough of that during his early years, before Team Seven. It was ok to if you were happy, but he certainly wasn't happy. Still, the tears flowed nonetheless. He couldn't have stopped them if he had wanted to. Right now, he didn't even care.

Tenten would never accept him now. He was so sure he could tell her and she would maybe be alright with it. She was the closest thing he had to a best friend since Sasuke-teme left. Now she would leave him too.

"Uzumaki."

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see Gaara. His teal blue eyes were peering at him in curiosity and the ferociousness that they always hold.

"Gaara, what are you doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Uzumaki."

"For the last time its Naruto. Just Naruto, ok?"

"Are you hurt? Who was after you?" Gaara's tone was hard to decipher. It contained not only anger, but also… protectiveness?

"I'm not hurt. And I am alone here. Why, what is up?"

"I felt your tenant's chakra flare and feared the worst. So of course I made my way here as fast as possible. I was only able to arrive now because I was across the village at the time attending a meeting."

"Oh, you felt his chakra, eh? I didn't think I was using that much. Look Gaara, its nothing. I just had a bad day and had to outrun all your Sand ninja to find somewhere to be alone alright?"

"You do not have to explain to me Uzuma… Naruto. I was simply making sure it was not them."

"Them?"

"Yes, them. The Atkatski. Surely you know of their plans by now."

"Of course," Naruto replied. "How could I not. They are after us, huh?"

"Yes, but more specifically they are after Shukaku and Kyuubi. To get to our demons though, they have to go through us. That is why we must watch each other's backs."

"I understand." Naruto stood up to talk face-to-face with the Sand nin. "But I will only be in your village for a couple more days then I must travel again."

"Yes, your sensei has made me aware of his plans. You are traveling into the northern Wind Country. There you will be residing for at least a year, learning from a highly respectable man."

"You know who I will be training with? How?"

"It is irrelevant at this point. What does matter is this." Gaara reached into his shirt and pulled out a wooden pendant that was about three inches wide and four inches tall. Engraved into were ancient characters that Naruto could not read.

"This is the mark of the Kazekage. It grants passage and power over all shinobi in the Wind Country. With this you will always have allies nearby. It has some of my sand imbedded into it as well. If your tenant's chakra is to flare, I will know about it and send aide as quickly as I am able."

"I don't know what to say.. Gaara. Arigato." Naruto made like he was going to hug the boy, but seeing the impression on the young Kazekage's face he thought otherwise and just rubbed the back of his head.

"So, Naruto. What brings you up here in the first place?"

"Well, we have to pass through your village to get North. Besides I thought…"

"No, not here." Gaara took a deep breath. "I meant what brings you up on this cliff?"

"Oh, here." Naruto shut up very quickly. "Its just…"

"Naruto, you do not need to tell me things if…"

"No! Its not that!" Naruto interrupted the boy. "Look I trust you now. Yes, we were once enemies, but now I consider you a friend you know. We are a lot alike in many ways. Its just that… My teammate, Tenten. She doesn't know about Kyuubi and I am afraid if I tell her…"

"Uzumaki Naruto. You are still worried about such things as this? I was feared through my whole village. Even my own brother and sister feared for their lives around me. Now, thanks to you, I am leader and my siblings take a much more… familial approach to me."

"Haha, yeah I saw Temari trying to make you talk to that cute girl earlier today. Thank goodness for that sand of yours, huh?"

"Uzumaki…" Sand began to trail towards Naruto, but it retreated as quickly as it appeared.

"Hehe, just joking with you Gaara."

"Look Naruto. If this teammate of yours, Tenten you call her. If she does not accept you for who you truly are, then she does not truly accept you now. Acceptance must be whole-hearted. She is not worthy to be called your friend if she rejects you for something you have no control over. You know that as well as I do. Yet still you run."

Naruto slid back down to his sitting position. His head was in his hands as he looked out over the Sand Village.

"What does it feel like Gaara?"

"Feel like to what?" Gaara took a step closer to peer out and admire the view as well.

"To be Kazekage? To be able to protect all those you care about and love?"

"Even as Kazekage I cannot protect everyone Naruto. There are enemies out there that are stronger than me, stronger than you. That is why we must fight together. Not just you and I, no, our villages must rally together. If we go at it alone, we will be picked off like flies."

Naruto continued to stare. He knew that people would still die when he became Hokage… because he WILL be Hokage. He had just never accepted that he couldn't protect everyone. It was not something his mind could wrap itself around.

"I will be leaving you now."

"Wait Gaara, I…"

"Naruto?"

Naruto's head shot back as he recognized the voice that called his name. It sounded a bit more raspy then he was used to hearing, but there was no doubt who it was.

"Tenten?"

"Oi, Gaara, I'm hungry, let's go grab a bite to eat. Its your turn to pay." Temari walked towards her brother as he rose up on a floating mound of sand.

The Sand Siblings left, with what sounded like Gaara mumbling under his breath all the way. Meanwhile, Tenten and Naruto stood together on the plateau as the sun was beginning to set.

"Naruto, I…"

"Tenten, don't cry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Tenten ran towards Naruto and literally threw herself at his feet. Naruto had certainly never been in this position before. He had just stood up when he had realized she was there and now she was crying in a heap right in front of him. What was he expected to do?

"Tenten, Please don't…"

Tenten wasn't about to stop crying. Apparently she wasn't about to move either so Naruto did the only thing he could think of. He bent down, picked her up like a baby and carried her over to the shade of a lone tree. There he sat against the trunk of the tree, still holding Tenten as she now had a death grip on his orange jacket. He could already feel the tears soaking through.

"Its ok Tenten, I'm right here. I won't run off again I promise." Naruto whispered to her as he rubbed her back in gentle strokes.

"Naruto.. I didn't mean… I hope you don't… I hope you don't…" She hiccupped. She was still crying so hard that the words were getting jumbled up in her mouth.

"You hope I don't what Tenten?"

"I hope you don't… hate me."

"Hate you?" Naruto was stunned. Why would HE hate HER? It made absolutely no sense in his brain.

"Yes, I thought you ran away… because… because… you were afraid of me. After I showed you my scar you just vanished. I was so worried that…"

"Its ok Tenten," Naruto rubbed her back again as she broke into another fit of tears. When she finally began to calm down again, Naruto tried to explain.

"Tenten, your scar doesn't bother me. It's just that part of your story, well, it reminds me of my past. The way things happened to you reminds me of some of the things that happened to me. It brought up some bad memories and I just had to get away. I'm sorry if I worried you."

Tenten looked up into Naruto's eyes. Naruto couldn't believe how gorgeous she was. Even though she was covered in matted up sand and her eyes were puffy from crying, she still reflected that beauty. When had he started thinking about her like this. He had to shift his thoughts quickly, get back onto the subject at hand.

Naruto lifted Tenten off of his lap and set her next to him against the tree. He put his arm around her and she instinctively curled up next to him. She honestly had been enjoying sitting in his lap, but if they were to talk, she guessed this would have to do.

"Naruto, I don't know what happened in your past, you never talk about it. You were telling me earlier today about everyone having deep secrets. I have told you my darkest secret, but that in no way means that you must tell me yours. But Naruto, you have to understand… you can trust me."

She said this last part as she stared deep into his bright blue eyes. She could see that he had been crying too. She had not noticed this at first, but now it was clear as day. What had affected him this badly?

"Tenten, I'm not going to lie and tell you that I want to tell you, because I don't. I'm just afraid that you will…"

"That I will what Naruto?"

"That you will hate me, Ten-chan."

"Naruto," She said as she squeezed into his side. "I couldn't hate you. Not now, not ever. I know you better than you think. We all have pasts we wish we could live down or forget, but that doesn't change how we live our future. You can trust me, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Tenten, I…"

He didn't know where to begin. He was expecting her to yell at him to hurry up, but she was just looking at him expectantly, patiently waiting for him to be ready to speak.

"Well, I guess… You said you were one-year-old when the Kyuubi was killed right?"

Tenten shook her head and rubbed her scar. Just thinking about it made her chest ache.

"Well, the truth is he was never killed."

"What, I don't understand."

"Konoha… they couldn't kill him. He was too powerful. The Fourth tried, but not even his legendary strength was enough. They only had one choice: to seal him up."

"How would they…"

Naruto cut her off. If he stopped he may never finish.

"They needed a newborn baby. If they sealed it into an adult, their chakra pathways wouldn't be able to handle the huge pressure of the Kyuubi's chakra. They hoped that if they sealed it into a baby that its chakra pathways would adapt to accommodate the demonic energy."

"My parents were also killed during the attack. I never knew them. I still don't know there names. It seems a lot of records were lost in the attack. Anyway, I had just been born that exact day and… and…and…"

Naruto couldn't finish. He just couldn't. He had never told anyone his own age. She would hate him, there was no doubt. How could she not? It was preposterous to think that she would still be sitting here, leaning against his body when she learned that the Kyuubi occupied that exact body.

"Naruto… you…"

Tenten was staring at him in disbelief. She backed away from him to get a better look. She didn't want to believe it. The Kyuubi had not died, but instead had been sealed away into a baby… into… no, it couldn't be. That couldn't be what he was implying!

Naruto decided to finish. Though he couldn't finish with words, he knew how to answer Tenten's questioning look. He lifted his shirt, exposing his stomach. Then, putting his hands together he began molding a small amount if chakra, just enough to make the seal appear. And appear it did.

Tenten was embarrassed at first to see Naruto taking off his shirt. She didn't understand why, she had seen him without his shirt on plenty of times, but still… Then she saw it. A seal appeared on his abdomen as clear as day. How had she missed it before? Then it hit her like a full blown train. He was the child.

Tenten backed away just a little more, not sure what to think . This was all too much to take in. All this time she had been training with the Kyuu… no. Naruto is Naruto. Just because the nine-tailed fox is sealed in him it does not change who he is. In fact, it makes him stronger. He had been chosen as the one to protect the village from the fox. And he had grown up alone. How had he survived knowing that?

Naruto was pained to say the least. All of his worst nightmares were coming true. He saw the confused look on Tenten's face. He was pretty sure he saw fear etched in there as well. It was only a matter of time before she went running off. He would never see her again, that was the only thing he was sure of. Then the most peculiar thing happened.

Tenten launched herself at Naruto a second time this day. This time though, instead of landing at his feet, she landed in his lap. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and cried into his neck. The tears almost tickled. Naruto was stunned.

Tenten couldn't stand to see him sitting there alone anymore. She had to comfort him, cry with him at least. That is how she ended up like this, back in his lap. She didn't fully understand this all and how it worked, but she knew one thing. She could trust Naruto.

Naruto finally got the idea and wrapped his own arms around the girl. And then his own tears began to fall freely. His face was buried in her hair. And it seems that in all the commotion her buns had fallen out. Now her hair was dangling all over the place. Naruto, couldn't be happier. No, those tears were not tears of sadness anymore, they were tears of happiness. Finally…

After holding each other for a good long time, they finally let each other go, but only for a split second. Tenten resumed her place at his side and he held her close. The sun was just about to set and the sky was a brilliant masterpiece of pinks, reds, and outrageous deep blues.

Tenten began to fuss with her hair, but Naruto just looked at her funny.

"My buns, they fell out and now… I'm just a mess."

That funny pout that she aimed at Naruto just made him laugh. Now she looked angry though so he felt that he should come up with something to make up for it.

"I like your hair like that," He said as he pushed a strand behind her ear to get it out of her face. "I've never seen you with it down before."

Tenten didn't say a word, she just snuggled in closer to Naruto.

Neither of the teens knew where this journey was going to take them. What the future holds and what it has in store for them was a complete mystery. But right now, watching the sunset, none of that mattered anyway.


	8. 八

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Eight:**

The next day flew by. Truth be told, Naruto was happier that way, Tenten too. It gave both of them time to think about the previous day's events.

Naruto was happy, don't misunderstand… just a little confused still. He felt like he could take on the whole world after Tenten had accepted him fully and without any questions. Yet, therein laid the problem. What with her sitting in his lap and them holding one another as the sun set, a voice inside his head told him that things were changing. And that voice was not that of Kyuubi. Still, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that there was a real and tangible tension between Tenten and him. And for Naruto's inner mind to be using words like 'tangible' he knew it must be serious.

Tenten was in a similar boat. The day after Naruto's confession she had been just as busy as him. First there was a meeting between herself, Shiro-sensei, Naruto and the Kazekage, Gaara. There she learned the full extent of the two boys' problems with their demons and the Atkatsuki. She didn't have much to contribute to the whole meeting, so she spaced out and thought about the day before; sitting in Naruto's lap, seeing him cry and crying herself, holding each other as the sun set…

Then Temari had drug her off to shop. Tenten was not a shopper like Temari, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. It was good to spend time with another female, even if she had tried to kill you once. But hey, friends can't be perfect can they? She still cringed at the sight of Temari's fan, but she got over it and enjoyed the day and getting her mind off of Naruto. What would she do with the boy?

The trio were now standing outside the gate of the Hidden Sand Village. It was late afternoon. The three of them had slept in all morning to change their sleep schedules so that they could more easily travel at night and sleep during the day. It was the only way to travel through a desert.

Gaara was there to see them off, as was Temari. Kankurou had been on a mission the past few days and was still gone on leave. Shiro was anxious to start the journey. It was still a two week trek until they reached their final destination, not to mention it would be extremely hot and dry the entire way.

"See ya, Gaara," Naruto waved as he turned and began walking without the other two. Normally he hated goodbyes like this, but he knew that he would see Gaara again soon enough. There was no doubting it.

"That's Kazekage to you kid!" Temari yelled after Naruto. Gaara may not force respect from the brat, but she sure as hell would. Naruto responded by stopping, bending forward and slapping his butt towards Temari. She shook her fist and began to run after him, but was stopped by a wall of sand.

"There were two unidentified ninjas who trespassed along our eastern border last night. If you travel steadily, there should be no worries. The distance is too great." Gaara was quick and to the point. With that he turned around and walked back into the village, dragging a kicking and screaming Temari behind him in a clump of sand.

"Bye Temari-san," Tenten yelled. Turning around she walked alongside Shiro, both of them slowly catching up with the carefree Naruto.

Tenten still wasn't sure how to react around Naruto. It wasn't the new knowledge of the Kyuubi residing in him. That did not really bother her or shock her as much as it probably should have. No, it was how they had been acting around one another lately that had her nervous. Just yesterday she had been sitting in his lap and watching the sunset together, him holding her tightly. Now though, everything seemed to have gone back to normal. She wasn't sure if that was for the better or the worse yet.

Hiking through the desert at night was eerie to say the least. The moon shone bright, but it cast shadows from small shrubs and the dunes themselves. The three travelers walked on in silence though, thankful for the reprieve from the sun's violent rays. It was still incredibly dry, but the heat had gone down significantly. So much so that Tenten was shivering. She still had on her sleeveless Chinese vest which was perfect for a hot day. Yet nobody had told her that the temperatures in the desert at night could approach freezing.

Naruto saw her with her arms crossed in front of her chest trying to keep somewhat warm. It wasn't really working seeing as she had no sleeves at all. Naruto only had on a short sleeve shirt under his jacket himself, but it was better than what Tenten presently had. He hardly thought twice about his next action.

"Tenten," Naruto whispered, not wanting to break the silence that had fallen on their group.

"What Naruto?" Tenten shivered out through her teeth.

Naruto didn't even answer her. Instead he fell in step directly behind her and in one motion removed his jacket placing it over her tiny shoulders. She instinctively wrapped it around herself tighter, taking in the warmth that was left behind by Naruto.

"Arigato," she whispered, smiling back at him deeply. It resembled one of his own smiles, Naruto thought to himself, the kind where he smiled so big that his eyes were forced to close. Not one of his fake smiles, but a genuine smile from the heart.

That was when it happened.

Naruto was looking directly into Tenten's smiling face and time entered slow motion. Somewhere right ahead of them he managed to hear Shiro-sensei shouting at them. Naruto's mind was unable to grasp what it was that he was saying, but then he sensed it himself.

Heat.

A great heat was descending upon them fast. Naruto then saw the light coming towards Tenten's back. Before he could think, his body took over. He jumped at the still smiling Tenten, taking her down. He covered her body with his own. He would have grabbed her and jumped away, but by the time he could get his muscles to react there was no time left. This was the only way.

The fire rushed over Naruto's body. The only redeeming factor was that it had been aimed higher originally, probably intended for Tenten's head. As they were now lying on the ground, Naruto only felt the edge of the fire graze his back, but it was enough to burn a massive hole across his black t-shirt.

Tenten was frozen. She still wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but in that split second she had figured out two things: they were under attack and their attacker knew katon jutsus.

She looked up from underneath Naruto to see Shiro standing off with a tall, dark man. Maybe it wasn't the fact that he himself was dark, but more so his cloak. That was when she felt Naruto tense up and slowly stand. He did this in a fluid motion, pulling Tenten up as well and pushing her behind him.

"Well, if it isn't the little yellow haired brat and his girlfriend."

Naruto still held Tenten protectively behind him.

"What do you want shark-breath? You do remember what happened last time right?"

Last time? Tenten had no idea who these people were, but Naruto sure seemed to. They seemed dangerous. And their dark robes that went all the way from their feet to their chins and were covered with red-lined clouds made them look all the more ominous.

Tenten put her hand onto Naruto's back to reassure him that she was there with him. She felt him flinch though, causing her to closely examine his back. Even in the dim moonlight she could see the horrible burns that covered his back. He had taken the flame in place of her and had paid for it dearly.

"Yes, but the only reason we had to retreat was because of that perverted old man." Kisame looked around as if to jest Naruto. "Is he off ogling young women again?"

"Naruto, what is he talking…"

"Tenten," Naruto cut off her question. "I need you to run as fast as you can back to Sand. Run, and do not look back."

"But Naruto, you…"

"Tenten," This time Naruto put one hand behind his back to hold her own. "These are the Atkatsuki. They are out of our league. I am going to have to borrow power from Kyuubi if I can hope to fight them. If I do that, I do not want you to be around where I could accidentally hurt you. Do you understand?" He asked, giving her hand a light squeeze.

"Yes I do, but I will fight with Shiro instead. If you have to use the Kyuubi's powers, Shiro will know what to do. I am not leaving you, understand?" She gave a hard squeeze in return, before darting off to find her sensei.

Naruto turned back to look Kisame right in the eyes..

"Where were we? Oh yes, I was about to kick your sorry little fish ass."

"You're going to regret that punk."

"Let's go wild…"

同时。。。

Shiro was faced off against an enemy he had not expected. It had been years since the Uchiha massacre. Yet, in all of his fearsome glory stood one of the last remaining Uchihas. The very one to slaughter the entirety of his clan.

"Uchiha Itachi." Shiro growled out.

Itachi chose to simply glare at the man, attempting to make eye contact to end this quickly. Shiro, however, was already expecting this.

"I know of your techniques Itachi. I guess you will have to try something new eh?"

"Shiro-sensei! Shiro-sensei!" Tenten yelled as she ran alongside Shiro. He quickly informed her to not look into this man's eyes. That is until Itachi finally decided to speak up.

"Shiro? I see, you must be the legendary Shiro Doragon. You should be honored, that even a man such as I knows who you are."

Shiro so badly wanted to glare at him, but knew he must keep his cool. There was nothing else to it.

"And who is this precious doll?" Itachi asked, glancing over at Tenten.

"Make no mistake, I am your opponent today Itachi."

"I see."

Shiro tensed up, readying himself for the upcoming fight. This was not going to be a picnic.

Shiro was readying himself for his attack when he heard Tenten speak up.

"Give me your kunai, sensei."

"What?" Why?"

"I have heard of this man as well. He is said to be a master at throwing weapons as I am. Not only that, but he has come after Naruto-kun. I want to help, no, I must help. Now, give me a few of your kunai. I only have this one.

Shiro tried to stop her. Desperately he didn't want her to show that kunai, but it was too late. The pale moonlight danced off of the smooth surface of the single kunai that she carried. This reflection caught Itachi's eyes immediately.

"I was not aware that there were any of those still in existence."

Tenten froze. She did not know that this knife was so rare. She then made her first and only mistake of the night. She looked up at Itachi.

_Her world began to swirl and disperse around her. Everything seemed like a dream, yet painstakingly real as well. Then she saw him. Naruto was off in the distance. She ran for him, needing the comfort that only he could provide in such a strange place. As soon as she approached him though, she saw his eyes._

_They were no longer the brilliant blue that reminded her of the skies in the summertime. No, they were blood-red and seeking violence. _

_She tried to run away, but he was too quick. He began to tear away at her clothes with his claws, digging deep into her flesh. She was losing blood fast. Before she could faint however, she heard his normal voice above the growls of the fox._

"_Stupid girl. As if I could ever love someone as stupid and ugly as you. You mean nothing to me. Now die." _

_And die she did, over and over and over. The pain never dulled, the words never hurt any less. Each and every time she relived her nightmare the feelings only intensified. _

Tenten fell to the ground seconds after she had pulled the kunai out of her pouch. It fell from her hand and into the sand.

"You bastard!" Shiro was not thinking clearly as he should. He knew that he could not let the anger take over him. He knew that was what Itachi wanted. Tenten was not dead, but she would be if he did not get her to medical attention fast.

"Tonight, you go down, Uchiha Itachi."

同时。。。

Naruto had a hundred clones surrounding Kisame. His plan was for them to simply dash in and attack, as he would wait in the crowd of the clones, attacking when he could see an opening and running when the danger looked too much.

All in all, it was the same plan he used for all of his enemies.

Besides, Naruto figured it was alright to use shadow clones considering the situation. Shiro-sensei would understand.

It was going alright at first. Kisame seemed to be a bit overwhelmed at the sheer number of Naruto's he was being forced to fight. That is until he unsheathed his sword. Naruto remembered his sword. He seemed to recall that it somehow ate chakra. And with shadow clones that could not produce their own chakra, it was the worst type of weapon to send them up against.

As each clone would attack, if it got even within a close proximity of the sword, all of its chakra would be sucked away. The clone would disappear, not even knowing what had hit it. And therein laid the beauty of Kisame's sword: nothing had actually ever hit the clone.

Naruto could make more clones all night, but this was getting him nowhere. He had to break out the big guns now, so to speak.

Naruto was preparing a rasengan, with the help of a clone when he sensed it. It wasn't so much what he sensed actually, but what he failed to sense. Naruto had never been good at detecting chakra signatures, but if he was around a person enough, he would faintly be able to feel their chakra. It was difficult, but he could do it.

It was then that he noticed the chakra he could no longer sense..

"Tenten."

Naruto took a moment to glance back. In the dim light he could just barely make out two tall figures facing off, neither moving. Beside them was a lump in the sand. He thought nothing of it until he saw the faint orange. The orange that only he wore. Like the orange on his jacket that he had leant Tenten only moments before.

The rasengan never finished forming. Instead, Naruto delved into his inner self in search of the Kyuubi.

"_Kyuubi! Kyuubi!"_

_Kyuubi leered at the boy from his dank cage. It had been quite sometime since the boy had visited last time._

"_I need your rent for this month fox!" _

"_Why should I give anything to you? Would you pay someone to live here?"_

"_I do not have the time. I have to save…" Naruto didn't finish, he didn't want the fox to know._

_Naruto and Kyuubi's relationship was still undefined. Naruto wasn't sure what information to trust with the fox and what not to. He didn't want to tell the fox anything about Tenten, lest the fox find some leverage that he could use against Naruto. On the other hand, if he didn't give a damn good reason as to why he would need the chakra, there was no way Kyuubi would help._

"_It's the Atkatsuki again. They are after us."_

"_Actually they are after me, but whatever makes you feel good."_

"_Kyuubi, I need your help."_

"_The pathetic human needs my help does he? I guess I can help, though I don't know why. Perhaps, I just enjoy the fight…. It's been far too long since we have fought together. Why, I can't remember a time since we fought that Uchiha kid…"_

"_Fine, but careful how much power you give me. Last time I couldn't use my right hand after a while…"_

"_I know this far more than you boy. Your puny body can hardly handle an ounce of my chakra. Now go…"_

"_I… thank you."_

_As Naruto was waking up into the conscious world he heard the fox's last phrase._

"_Go… and protect your mate."_

When Naruto awoke, Kisame was already charging. His sword was held straight up, ready for a vertical strike. Had it been Naruto fighting, maybe he still could have dodged. He was fast after all, Naruto had not trained all this time with those cursed weights to be considered anything but fast. Still, it was no longer Naruto fighting.

It was Kyuubi.

The red chakra raged around Naruto like a waterfall. The sheer amount of it caused Shiro and Itachi to pause in their fight. Kisame was having second thoughts about his maneuver. Last time he had stopped the kid from ever using the Kyuubi's powers. This time, he wasn't sure if anything could stop the beast in front of him. Still, the legendary swordsmen would never show such fear in a confrontation.

Kisame went in for the kill, swinging his huge sword with all of his might. And as quickly as it was swung, it was also stopped. It was being held midair by a red, fiery paw, extending from Naruto's own hand.

"_So this thing eats chakra eh? How much can it handle?"_

Kyuubi pumped more and more chakra into the sword . Kisame could feel the structure of it bending, trying to accommodate the massive amount of chakra. Finally he felt it begin to crack before he fervently pulled it away.

"_Awww, did I break your little sword?" _Kyuubi leered at the man. _"Then I guess it is time to break you now."_

Naruto, infused with Kyuubi, moved with speeds unknown to Kisame. It came with great surprise to all present what happened next.

Itachi moved quickly into what looked like a defensive stance to protect his partner. If that was truly his intention was unknown to Kisame, but he highly doubted that his partner, Itachi, would actually try to protect him with his own life. Nonetheless, he was able to stop Naruto as soon as he looked up to see the new opponent.

Kyuubi who had been in control of Naruto's body did not believe that he could be affected by the sharingan, not even while inside the child's body. How wrong he was. In a quick moment he was thrown back into his jail cell, away from the outside world and the fight he was currently engaged in. What happened next surprised the eons old demon all the more.

None other than Itachi himself stood in front of the demon's cage, taunting him with his freedom.

"_What have you done?" _the Kyuubi snarled, jumping at the bars of the cage, hoping to get a swing in.

"I have merely placed you back where you belong… for now."

"_For now?"_

"Yes, we will be releasing you from this putrid, mortal body very soon. Then you can have your revenge on the village that imprisoned you like this. Not to mention, in freeing you, we will simultaneously kill the son of the one who imprisoned you in the first place. Killing two birds with one stone you see?"

"_You will kill the boy, release me and just let me go? What do you benefit from such a risky action? What says I won't kill you right after?"_

"Oh, we have very convincing means. I wouldn't worry about that."

"_I warn you, if the boy dies, you will regret it."_

"Oh, the almighty Kyuubi, Lord of all the demons has gone soft now has he? I will not simply believe that. Besides, behind those bars you have no control at the moment, no matter how strong you may be outside."

Kyuubi lunged at the bars again, but Itachi was gone.

同时。。。

Shiro could only stand and watch as both of his students were immobilized. He wasn't fast enough to react. That, plus he was having a hard time leaving Tenten's side. He had done it once a long time ago, and swore never to do it again. He had hoped that Naruto could handle Kisame and that he would be able to fight Itachi head-on-head, but Itachi had changed all of that in the course of about five seconds.

Now Shiro stood, holding Tenten in his arms. Naruto was in a heap, the last of the demonic chakra leaking away from him and disappearing in the early morning desert wind. Shiro wanted to go and defend the boy, but deep inside he knew that he stood no chance. Defending both of the unconscious teenagers while attacking two members of the Atkatsuki would be meaningless.

Itachi effortlessly picked up the blonde boy. Hefting him up on his shoulders he turned around with Kisame and walked off. In a last attempt, Shiro dashed after them only to have them vanish in front of his eyes.

Looking at the frail face of the girl in his arms, Shiro didn't know how he could possibly tell her. She would want to rush off and find him right away, something Shiro should be doing at this very moment. But he could not bring himself to leave her behind again.

Shiro had known Naruto's father. He had known what an incredible man he was and the many times he had dodged imminent death. He could only hope that his son took after his father in more ways than simple appearances.


	9. 九

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Nine:**

Gaara arrived only to find a tired Shiro carrying an unconscious girl. The said girl was Tenten, but Gaara was too busy searching for Naruto's presence to be troubled with such trivial information as that. Gaara, with his never ending scowl looked directly into Shiro's eyes the moment they were face-to-face.

"Where is Uzumaki?" Gaara was positive of what had happened, but even he himself did not want to admit it.

"There was nothing we could do."

"Nothing you could do? I see." Gaara hid his emotions well, but anyone could tell from the flares in his chakra that he was pissed.

"What brought you out here anyway? There is no way you heard the fight from this far away. We are miles away from the village by now."

Gaara looked down at the sand. "I gave Naruto a tracking device containing my sand. Because of reasons I would rather not explain, if he had to use his Kyuubi chakra, I would be made of aware of it. Then I could locate him as long as the demonic chakra was active."

Shiro just looked at him dumbfounded. He had been around the world and seen a lot in his lifetime. He had even heard of tracking jutsus and could perform a few of them himself. But all this talk of demonic jutsus was out of his league.

"We should head back to my village. There the girl can be treated and you may rest as I go and look for Uzumaki."

"You can't be thinking of going after him yourself. I am sorry if I am speaking out of line Kazekage, but that is suicide. This is the Atkatsuki we are talking about. You going after them by yourself is exactly what they would want. Moreover you know it." Shiro looked Gaara sternly in the eyes. He then began his long hike back to the Hidden Village of Sand.

Gaara, looked at Shiro and then in the opposite direction where he could only imagine Naruto was somewhere. The decision was a hard one to make. He had to save his friend. On the other hand, he had recent information that told him that the Atkatsuki would not be coming after the demon containers for another two or three years. So why now? Either way it meant only one thing: they were probably not going to kill Naruto just yet. Gaara had time to regroup and make a plan to recover the blonde. Still, thinking this did not make it any easier to turn around and follow Shiro back to the village.

…

The sun was setting when the trio made it back to the Village. Shiro was clearly exhausted from being up for over a day straight, not to mention spending that entire time walking through a desert. He was also afraid that Tenten was terribly dehydrated by the time they finally arrived. He reassured himself that an IV tap would solve that as soon as he could get her to the hospital.

Gaara on the other hand was the same as always. He had grown up in a desert, and though he was ale to sleep better these days, he was still more than capable of staying awake for days at time with no problems at all. Gaara was not worried about the two beside him as much as he was for the first friend he had in a long time. It was not like Gaara to think about such things, but since he had met the boy, a lot of things in him had been changing.

Shiro handed over Tenten to a nurse who took her straight to a private room. Shiro collapsed onto the chair beside her after informing the nurse what jutsu had caused this. The nurse was clearly troubled to hear this, as Shiro had feared. He had heard of few that came under this jutsu that survived. In fact, the only person he knew of that could cure this would be Tsunade and she was back in Konoha.

He looked at the sleeping face of his last known relative. She was so trusting in him and Naruto. She was also loyal beyond most her age. In the middle of a fight against enemies she had no right to be fighting, she stood her ground to defend her friends. Shiro slapped his own forehead as he slid his other hand around Tenten's. Eventually he would have to trust her as Naruto had and tell her his deep secret. There was no way around it. For now though, he needed to rest and recollect his thoughts.

同时。。。

Naruto was finally coming to. As he was gaining consciousness, he tried to remember what exactly had happened and where he was. He tried opening his eyes, but could see only darkness. Feeling around with his hands, it appeared that he was in some sort of barrel. A big barrel… it reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

Come to think of it, what had happened while he was out? He remembered using Kyuubi's power, but everything was blank after that. Naruto grabbed his head. It was all too much to take in.

He tried prying his way out of his tiny prison to no avail. Kicking and screaming also seemed to get him nowhere. Naruto was sweating by the time he finally gave up on physically breaking out. That left him with only one option. Slowly, Naruto meditated and sank deeper and deeper into his own consciousness. Sooner than expected he was in the murky sewer, standing before a mighty cage, with bars shooting up one hundred feet in the air.

"Kyuubi."

"_Chibi."_

Naruto ignored Kyuubi's comment. There was too much on the line and too few things that even understood right now. Naruto, didn't even know exactly what had happened in the fight after Kyuubi had taken over.

"What happened?" Naruto asked demandingly. "Where are my teammates and where are we?"

"_To answer what happened, that Uchiha bastard is sneaky. And for a fox to say that about another person… I do not know where your teammates are. As to where we are, I would say that we are in the custody of the Atkatsuki."_

"How did this happen? How could we… you be defeated so easily?" Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"_Despites being thousands of years old, there seems to be much I still do not understand. The sharingan seems to have powers that even affect myself, a greater demon. Exactly how this is possible, I do not understand. Nevertheless…"_

Naruto had never heard Kyuubi talk in such a way. Defeat must be hard for such a powerful being, especially defeat by a human, not that it was the first time for the fox, but Naruto was not going to point out such things. Still Kyuubi seemed almost as confused as himself, and no one had ever been as confused as Naruto was… never!

"What do we do now?"

Kyuubi scoffed at this. It was halfway between a hacking cough and a terribly laugh.

"_You are talking as if we were in this together. Make no mistake human, I do not team up with mortals such as yourself."_

With this said Kyuubi turned his back to the gate and leaned against the wall. Naruto could see that this was going nowhere. He had to think of something.

But what?

同时。。。

The room was dark when Shiro awoke. His eyes adjusted quickly and he could see Tenten's slow breathing on the bed ahead of him. Beyond the closed door, Shiro could just make out the sound of shuffling feet and hushed voices from the night shift nurses. Everything else seemed to be tranquil, had it not been for the current situation.

He stood up slowly, stretching his back. Apparently he had fallen asleep on the chair beside Tenten's bed, with his head collapsing onto the side of the mattress. A few bones popped as he stretched and swiveled at his hips, while snapping a few cricks out of neck as well.

Shiro walked out of the room, not anxious to leave Tenten alone, but anxious to find someone, anyone who knew what was going on. One of the nurses must know of Tenten's condition. This was his last thought as he exited the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Despite what he had first expected, none of the nurses knew anything. They said that a doctor had looked at her when she first came in and could not diagnose the problem. He had not seen anything like it before. It appeared that she was in some sort of coma. This was not the good news Shiro was hoping for.

Shiro was trudging his way back to her room when something caught his eyes. Leaning against the wall outside of Tenten's room was Gaara. Had he been there the entire time and Shiro had simply failed to notice it?

"Kazekage, what are you doing here?"

"I am guarding. You should continue resting. I believe that there will be someone who can treat Tenten tomorrow."

"Really?" Shiro asked desperately. He tried not to show it, but he felt like he was losing her all over again. Add that to his feelings of having failed Naruto and he felt absolutely unlike himself.

"Yes, there is a team from Konoha arriving tomorrow. They are assisting the Hokage's assistant. She was originally coming simply to relay information with my council, but their timing should reassure you."

Shiro let out a sigh of relief. Shizune would be here tomorrow. Surely she would be able to help Tenten. Plus having an entire team from Konoha would be very practical right now, for more reasons than one.

Shiro opened the door, but before he entered the room, there was something he needed to know.

"Kazekage-sama. If I may ask, why exactly are you guarding this room. You could assign any random guard."

Gaara shook his head. "No, Uzumaki Naruto is a friend. I understand that this girl means much to him. I will personally see to it that she meets no harm while I can be around."

Shiro shook his head in acknowledgment.

"Naruto is lucky to have such friends."

同时。。。

"This heat is so troublesome. Why did we have to come out to this stupid village again?"

"There were no other teams to assist Shizune-san. Besides, I am the one suffering here. The sun is ruining my perfect, fair skin!"

"As if it could be any worse."

"NANI! Nara, you are going to pay for that!"

Behind the constant bickering, you could hear a loud crunching sound, a pig snorting, a light humming coming from a woman, and a grown man smacking his head and moaning.

Yes, Team 10 had arrived in Sand Village.

The five travelers, plus one pig, had just entered the gates and were headed towards the Kazekage Tower to check in and speak with Gaara. That was until a streak of blond appeared in front of them, and as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone again.

"What was that?" Ino wondered.

"So fast… eh, Shikamaru? Shikamaru?"

Asuma now looked up to see that the lazy boy had genuinely disappeared.

"I bet this has something to do with that sister of Gaara's…" He thought out loud.

"Sister of… What?!" Ino hated being left out of the loop. Chouji just shrugged his shoulders and continued snacking.

The remaining four found their way into Gaara's office, the Kazekage waiting for them at his desk.

"Were there not five of you? Did you run into trouble on your trip?" Gaara was implying that maybe Shikamaru had not made it at all.

"No, no," Shizune spoke up. "It seems that some girl abducted him as soon as we arrived."

Gaara knew who this girl was. He clenched his fists at his sides but remained silent to the subject.

"I realize that you all must be tired. All of you may be excused until tomorrow, all of you except for Shizune-san."

The members of Team 10 exited the door. Before it had time to close though, Ino heard the beginning of the conversation.

"What is it, Kazekage-sama?"

"Uzumaki has run into trouble. His friend, Tenten I believe, is in our hospital. I need for you to attend to her. My doctors are unable to diagnose her. I was hoping…"

"And what of Naruto?" Shizune was holding her breath.

"I am afraid…"

At this moment Ino burst into the door. She couldn't be expected to walk around and enjoy the rest of the day off while one of her friends was in the hospital. True, she did not know Tenten too well, but they had spent some time together. Neji and Shikamaru enjoyed playing Go against one another. The two girls would typically tag along for these games and end up talking between themselves. She hoped that Tenten wasn't…

"May I help you Yamanaka-san?" Gaara was lucky that he had remembered her name. Truth be told the only reason he knew any of her team was the fact that they frequented his village so often. Temari insisted on it, saying having constant contact with Konoha would strengthen their bonds in this time of rebuilding. Gaara knew she had ulterior motives.

"I want to go and see Tenten-chan as well."

"As you wish." Gaara walked out of his office, the two females close behind as he led the way to the medical buildings.

同时。。。

Shiro had not been able to sleep anymore that night. The sun was now blazing and his mind was a constant swirl of emotions. Back and forth it went until he finally gave up on sleep altogether. He had instead chosen to watch Tenten sleep. She looked so peaceful, but looks could often be deceiving. Shiro knew what Itachi's Tsukuyomi was capable of. Tenten appeared fine on the outside, but inside he could only dare to imagine what was going on.

He squeezed her hand again. Suddenly the door to her room creaked open. He looked up to the worried eyes of Shizune.

"Shizune-chan," Shiro muttered under his breath.

"Hello Shiro-chan."

"I thought I told you never to call me that again."

"But your white tufts of hair are so kawaii!" Shizune went to grab at his hair but was stopped by Shiro's powerful arms.

"For the last time, it's silver… not white, not grey… it's silver!" He let out a long sigh. Their reunion could wait. Tenten needed attention now.

"Shizune, how is she?"

Shizune caught the drift and performed a few hand seals as she examined Tenten. A faint green, effervescent glow radiated from her hands and onto Tenten's body. After a few minutes Shizune shook her head.

"It doesn't look good. She is in a self-induced coma. There is nothing preventing her from coming out of it, except her own mind. There is a technique to reverse this, but only Tsunade knows it. I could never grasp its full use. If she were here… I'm sorry Shiro, there is nothing I can do."

Ino let out a sniffle. She was now kneeling beside Tenten, rubbing her arm. She had started listening to the other two people in the room only after they said the word 'mind'. This was her area of expertise.

"I'll do it." She said shakily as she stood to her feet.

"You'll do what Ino-san?"

"I will help Tenten."

"How, pray tell?" Shizune did not know that the girl knew any medical jutsus, especially such advanced techniques.

"I will enter her mind using my family's techniques. Somehow I will convince her to wake up. It has to work!" She was unsure of it herself. She had never tried this sort of thing before. On the other hand, she was pretty sure that she had read about something similar being done in her family's scrolls.

"I'm not sure that is such a good idea." Shizune was unfamiliar with Ino's abilities. Even so, going into a person's mind was tricky business. It would be all to easy for her to slip up someway and have everything far worse than it already is.

Ino looked over to Gaara. Everyone had almost forgotten the silent boy by the door. He had said nothing the entire time.

"Kazekage, I would like permission to enter the patient's mind. This is your hospital in your village."

Shizune was not going to keep the girl from doing this. If Ino desperately wanted to save her friend at any lengths, then who was she to say no. That did not take away from the fact that it was extremely dangerous, for both of the girls. Shizune knew though, that Tsunade would not be able to arrive in time to help Tenten. Without proper medical attention soon, she would be lost to her mind forever. Even the Kazekage seemed to sense the urgency in all of this.

"Do what you can for Uzumaki's friend." As soon as he spoke, he stepped out the door. He still had many responsibilities to attend to. Not the least of which was finding his sister and that Nara boy.

同时。。。

He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

As Naruto leaned against the cage that held Kyuubi, he hung his head. Kyuubi and he had just finished a plan that may work. At first the huge fox wanted nothing to do with any of this. He knew that he would not be free with the Atkatsuki anymore than he was now. Why should he work for anything if his situation was going to remain the same. The Kyuubi wanted freedom.

_(flashback)_

Freedom.

At this thought the old demon's eyes lit up.

"_Human, I believe we can make a deal."_

Naruto's ears perked up at this. He didn't completely trust Kyuubi, but he had helped out at times. It was worth hearing him out anyway.

"I'm listening."

"_What would you say if I gave you access to my chakra any time you want it. You just have to master drawing it out for yourself more effectively."_

"Ok, but that doesn't help me…"

"_I wasn't finished fool!"_

Naruto would have flinched if he wasn't already used to the stupid beast.

"_Right now I will give you my chakra and with it we should be able to break free from this prison."_

"We? What is this 'we' you are suddenly talking about?"

"_That is part of what I get out of the deal. Normally even with my chakra you maintain most of the control until my chakra overloads your puny body. What I am implying is for each of us to maintain control… equal control."_

"No. I don't even want to talk about…"

"_Boy, you have not thought this through well enough." _The Kyuubi lowered its head to look Naruto more squarely in the eyes. _"I would still be behind these bars, there is no changing that so easily. I would maintain my side of control through the chakra that leaks through."_

"Its not just that I am worried about," Naruto shook his head at the mere thought of Kyuubi taking control of his body to such an extent. "Given the chance you would wreak havoc using me as your vessel. Plus, I must protect Konoha at all costs, the same village that you desire revenge against for sealing you inside of me. How could I ever trust that you would not seek that revenge?"

"_You bring up a good point child. Yet, you have forgotten that you will have equal control alongside me. I could not carry out revenge with you making the decisions as well. We would have to act together or we could not act at all."_

"What do you get out of this?" It made sense to Naruto, if it was as Kyuubi said. Still, why was the fox trying to help so much. That is the one piece of the puzzle that did not fit.

"_Freedom."_

"But you just said that we would have equal control…"

"_Boy, even a taste of freedom is far better than starving. Even if I cannot take my fill, just to see the sky and breathe the fresh air again… I would do this and work alongside even the likes of you for this sake."_

_(end flashback)_

This had been the last thing that had been said. Naruto had just been rolling the idea and all of its concepts around in his head for hours. Kyuubi had even remained silent, reveling in his dreams of freedom, if only partial freedom.

What should he do?! Naruto was practically ripping his hair out at the decision that had to be made. If he sat back and did nothing, Atkatsuki would have their way with him. Naruto did not sugarcoat the fact that after they were through, he would be dead and Kyuubi would be devastating villages once again. That was not something he could let happen. All of Naruto's life he had kept the fox at bay. He was not about to let him loose after all of that trouble.

Yet therein laid the problem. The only action he _could _take would leave the fox with partial freedom. He wasn't exactly how it all would work or even if it would. The fox himself had admitted that it was only an idea, but in theory it would work. Nonetheless, it was a risk… a huge risk.

同时。。。

The two adults were silent. They had been so for the past five minutes. Ino had just used shintenshin no jutsu to enter Tenten's mind. Shizune had caught her unconscious body and laid her down in the other unused bed in the room. Since then, neither of the two conscious has said a word. And the tension was only building.

"Do think it was ok to tell her?"

Shiro shook his head. "Right or not, it was the only thing to do. After we decided to let Ino enter Tenten's mind, the decision to tell her about the Kyuubi was already made. Tenten already knows, and I have a bad feeling that knowledge plays into her symptoms."

Shizune remained quiet. She had known about Naruto after having just met him. Being Tsunade's assistant allowed her more information than most. She had never looked down on the boy, but had rather seen him as a hope and defense against the evil that is Kyuubi. Everyone had to decide on their own how to view Naruto, but her decision was simple. She was relieved when Ino took the information well.

Silence once again.

"Where were you?"

Shiro looked across the room at Shizune.

"Where were you all these years?"

He sighed at this question. He knew this was coming eventually, but was hoping he could avoid it for a bit longer. This type of conversation was not comfortable. He could have come up with an excuse for her answer. It would have been easy to say something, anything that would make him look good and calm down the very real guilt that he felt at this moment. Yet, any excuse would be a lie.

"I don't know."

Shizune stood up from her seat and pointed an accusing finger at the man.

"What do you mean 'I don't know.' You were gone for fourteen years! Fourteen years!"

Shiro sighed again.

"You think I don't know how long I was gone? I thought about you and Tenten everyday. Everyday I prayed that you two were doing well. Everyday I worried that something would happen to both of you. Everyday I… Everyday I regretted leaving more than the day before."

"Then why, why didn't you come back to us? Tenten needed family. She grew up alone. And I would have stayed in Konoha had you been there. Tsunade didn't need me trailing behind her all the time."

"I know. I started out simply needing to get away. My whole team had been killed. My best friend was gone. The rest of my family had just been buried, except for this tiny baby that I didn't know what to do with. I was scared and wanted to run. An old man found me leaning against a building during the middle of a torrential downpour. I was slap-ass drunk at the time. Still, under crazy circumstances, he took me on as a student. Later, I discovered that their were enemies, big enemies of Konoha plotting against the Third Hokage and against the child that held Kyuubi. I felt that I had a duty to protect."

"So you served your time, that's how you justified leaving us alone." Shizune didn't want to buy his story, but he seemed sincere, even heartbroken at his past.

"I thought you two would be better off without me. I just knew that if I was left to raise Tenten that I would screw it all up. And you…"

"I would have been there to help. You just never let me close enough."

Shizune was crying now. She was still standing, but now had her face in her hands and was shivering from the sobs that were overcoming her now. Shiro acted on impulse to seeing her cry. He slowly stood and enveloped her in his arms.

They stayed like this for some time, holding each other through the tears. When Shizune had finally calmed down enough, she said:

"Welcome back."

"Ah," replied Shiro. "I'm home."

同时。。。

To say that Ino was lost would be an understatement. She had been in many minds before, yet something was not right here. She had trained with all of her team members using her family techniques and had used shintenshin no jutsu on more people than she could count, whether it be for practice or during battles such in the Chuunin exams. Still, nothing had prepared her for this.

She found herself in a large forest. Her eyes could not see the end of it. The canopy of the trees blocked out all but tiny tendrils of light. Ino's eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness yet. As they did she saw strange branches protruding from all over the bases of the large tree trunks. Upon closer examination she could see that they were kunai, sticking out at odd angles. There seemed to be bull's eyes drawn on each tree. She walked and looked closer at several trees.

None of the knives were on target.

Suddenly Ino heard a scream. It was startling at first, but after hearing a second, she ran in the direction of the sound. There was only one person it could belong to. Tenten was curled up in the fetal position when Ino finally found her.

There was blood everywhere.

Her clothes were tattered, maybe shredded was a better description. She was crying desperately, occasionally letting out a whimper that would turn into a blood-curdling scream like the one she had heard before. Her arms were crossed, holding her chest as her fingernails dug further in her side, drawing more blood. Ino had to look away when she first spoke up.

"Tenten, it's me, Ino."

Tenten didn't appear to hear her, as she continued on in her misery. Ino spoke up this time.

"Tenten. I'm here to help. What happened?"

This time Tenten did look up. The expression on her face made Ino want to break down and hug her until whatever it was hurting her went away. But Ino held steady, knowing this was all an illusion of the mind, set on by whatever technique Itachi had used.

"Naruto… he... He…I…Kyuubi…" Tenten was stuttering horribly, too afraid of what she must have seen. Ino got on her knees to speak to her more clearly.

"Tenten, everything's ok. This was all just a bad dream."

"No! Naruto… he… he… attacked me! He said that… that he hated me!" She curled in on herself and began sobbing once more.

Ino sat down and grabbed Tenten. At first she resisted, but all of a sudden she clung to the blond with all the energy her quaking body had left. It was a terribly sad sight to see, but Ino did not have a lot of time. This technique was limited by her chakra and she was already tired before she even began.

"Tenten, listen to me. That was a genjutsu. Naruto does not hate you, but he is in trouble. You need to come with me so that you can wake up and help us retrieve Naruto."

"Naruto is in trouble?" Tenten's eyes quivered as they looked up into Ino's blue orbs.

"Yes. He needs you Tenten. I know that he would never hurt you."

"But the Kyuubi, he…"

"Tenten," Ino shook her head. "You know as well as I that Naruto would never let you get hurt, especially not by his own hands."

Tenten wiped her tears away with her bloodied arm. The blood was dissipating though, Ino noticed. It appeared that Tenten was finally seeing the truth and because of that, the genjutsu was disappearing.

"Yes, he is stronger."

Ino looked confused. "Stronger? Stronger that who?"

"Stronger than the Kyuubi," Tenten stated as she slowly stood on wobbling knees. She held a hand out to Ino, helping her up.

"Let's go home," Ino said, looking Tenten in the eyes.

同时。。。

The young boy adjusted his hitai itei. Curling his fingers into a fist, his fingers popped almost simultaneously. He then looked up, past the iron bars that held the giant demon fox captive. Catching the other's eyes, he finally spoke. He had made his decision.

"Let's go wild."


	10. 十

Ok, I would like to get a few things out of the way first. I have received a few questions and would like to address a few other things before someone has the chance to complain.

1) I had a reviewer ask me what "同时。。。" means. He said that it did not translate in Japanese. Well, that maybe because it isn't Japanese. It is Chinese. I am attempting to incorporate as many things Chinese into the story in order to accommodate Tenten. It literally translates to "meanwhile" or "at the same time". Its just a convenient way for me to break to other scenes. And for those language buffs out there, even if the characters are the same as Japanese kanji, it does not inherently imply that they mean the same thing in each language. Trust me, I lived in China for a year and have studied both languages.

2) Some of you probably will not like what I am doing with Naruto and Kyuubi. I admit that I did not originally plan to focus on their relationship so much, but it has become necessary. I hope to make them work together better, but do not be fooled. This will NOT be one of those stories where Kyuubi is like Naruto's long lost brother who all of a sudden loses all of his vengeance and blood thirst. I just don't think that is a very likely occurrence so I will not incorporate it into my story. For those who do not like how I am making them work together in Naruto's body… get over it.

3) I had a reviewer complain about how Naruto and Kyuubi got defeated by the sharingan. Granted I took this from the manga. Still, I hope that this chapter makes up for it. Some of you may not like the action I have Kyuubi take against Itachi in this chapter, while others may love it. I cannot satisfy everyone at the same time.

4) I just know that I will have people yelling at me for the way I made Tenten act throughout this whole chapter. I know that she is supposed to be very logical and tomboyish. Still, I feel that she should act like a crying girl sometimes. Look at it this way: She thinks Naruto has died or will inevitably die. Also, she just had Tsukuyomi used against her. This technique messes you up mentally pretty bad, so she is doubtless a little emotional about everything she saw in her mind and everything that she is going through. Also, with Naruto gone, she has no one to lean on, like she used to lean on Lee and Neji.

Anyways, here we go again…

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Ten:**

"Naruto…"

Shiro and Shizune sat up, both looking toward the girl with buns in her hair. She had just been the one to say his name right?

"Naruto. Where…"

"Tenten!" Shiro was at her side in an instant. Later he might berate himself for this action. It was very unlike him to be so emotional, he was supposed to be laid-back and care-free after all. Yet right now all that his mind could fathom was the fact that somehow she had come back to him. He would have another chance after all.

Shizune smiled at the reunion. It was touching and even brought a small tear to her eyes. She wiped it away hastily, Shiro would not like to see her watching him like this. He was too self-conscious and didn't even realize it. Meanwhile, she needed to check on the person who even made this possible.

Ino was stirring in the other bed. Shizune approached her, analyzing her with a medical jutsu.

"Did we make it?" Ino had one hand over her eyes, the other she was leaning against to prop herself up.

"Yes, Tenten is going to be alright. What about yourself Ino-san?"

The blonde rubbed at her temples and slowly opened her eyes.

"Ugh, It feels like that time I drank too much at Shikamaru's house and… Oh, I didn't say that out loud did I?" Ino continued to moan at the pressure behind her eyes. It reminded her of a hangover amplified by a hundred.

"Nevermind that. Your chakra seems to be depleted. As for the other side effects, they must be a cause of the technique, though I know very little of your family's techniques so that is hard to say."

Ino just grunted in response.

"I will give you a few pills that will take the pain away for now,' Shizune continued. "Hopefully after a night or two of rest you will be back to normal."

Ino was no longer listening though. Instead her head was facing to the left, towards the other side of the room. Tenten was looking right back at her. As their eyes connected, Tenten mouthed her gratitude to the other girl. Ino shook her head in response.

"Naruto? Where is Naruto?"

Shiro hung his head down. He did not want to be the one to break the news. He was afraid how Tenten would react. His fears were justified, but she needed to know. He knew this.

"The Atkatsuki, they…"

Naruto!? Where are you!?" Tenten wouldn't listen to Shiro. She couldn't. She was attempting to rise from the bed, but she was either too weak or Shiro was holding her back too strongly for her to get up. She didn't want to listen to his words. She couldn't admit that Naruto was…

"He's gone. I'm sorry."

The tears distorted Tenten's vision. She did not attempt to hide them or wipe them away. Instead they trailed down her cheeks, each following the same path as the one before it. Her breathing had become more shallow. Shiro looked at her, attempting eye contact. He wanted to be there for her, but that was impossible right now. There was only one thing on Tenten's mind. Only one person she could lean on.

"Naruto-kun, where are you?"

同时。。。

The council had decided against his decision. It was a just decision on their part as it made the most sense. His plan had been brash and not thought out at the time, yet still he was not satisfied. He could not rest easy.

Standing in his office the Kazekage stared out at the village spread below him. Off to his far right he could see the desert, the same desert that somewhere still held his comrade, no friend, captive. He had just been told to sit still and wait it out. Yet even his sand was crawling, unable to simply sit this one out.

Still, Gaara admitted to himself, even if he could go after Naruto, he had no idea where to start. Not to mention the enemy has a good three day headstart by now. Even using his sand as a fast transport, catching up to elite nin such as the Atkatsuki would be extremely difficult if not impossible with such a distance gap. That was if he knew exactly which way they were headed as well.

He shook his head, closing his eyes to the world, if only for a moment.

"Uzumaki, stay alive for just a while longer."

同时。。。

The two cloaked shinobi sat around a fire. It was still a week's journey back to the cave. There they could meet with their leader and present him the boy. Itachi and Kisame would be greatly honored for having accomplished their mission first. But there is no real honor among thieves, nor among criminals.

"We will leave in the morning," Itachi merely stated, not even glancing at his partner. He was already annoyed that they had had to stop. Still, after having used his mangekyou two times, he had to rest. Kisame didn't mind either, as he was the one carrying Naruto around in the large barrel. It was designed to hold in chakra. It should be strong enough to contain all but the strongest of chakras.

"Oi, Itachi. I'm gonna go find some food."

Itachi merely nodded as his companion left to forage for whatever animal he could find in the forest. He preferred to be alone anyways. Kisame was the only other member of the Atkatsuki that he could tolerate. Unlike the others, he would give Itachi space and realized that he was the stronger of the two. He knew his place.

The elder Uchiha glanced over at the barrel. The boy should remain unconscious dues to his exposure to the Tsukuyomi, yet it always paid to be cautious.

Itachi had turned back towards the fire. Staring deep into the flames always sent him back to his last night in Konoha. The fires had burned gloriously that night, hadn't they?

He heard a noise and assuming it was Kisame he went on with his thoughts. No one else would be around this part of the forest. Besides he would sense their chakra. No one snuck up on Uchiha Itachi… no one. Analyzing the air for chakra though, left Itachi with the realization that Kisame was approximately a quarter of a mile away. What was that noise he had just heard?

…

The chakra was building around and throughout his body. It felt like the day at that waterfall when he was pitted against his former best friend, Sasuke. The chakra was now boiling out of his skin, causing his whole being to scream and writhe in pain. The barrel was still not giving.

Kyuubi knew this had to have been painful for the boy the few times he had utilized so much of the demonic chakra before. The difference now was that they were sharing a consciousness. Thus whatever Naruto felt, Kyuubi felt. The pain was beyond the realm of his understanding. As a demon he had known pain, otherwise he would have never have been so powerful. But he had been so strong and feared for so long, that pain was but a dull memory for him… until now.

Together they fought the pain, until finally the wood and chakra binding gave way. What stood amongst the splinters was terrifying.

Itachi had not sensed it until the last second. In the back of his mind he figured that this was due to the fact that barrel had kept him from sensing the building chakra. The thing binding the demon had been used against his captors. He had not felt surprise like this that he could ever recall.

It was difficult to see through the flaming red chakra. Yet with his sharingan active, what he saw made Itachi, who believed himself to be emotionless, take a step backwards.

There stood the blond haired gaki. The chakra crawled into the sky at least thirty feet and was still growing. Half of his features were the same, save for the chakra boiling through his entire body. Though on the left side of his body was the terrifying difference. Here Itachi could see that the lines on his left cheek had grown into distinctive whicker marks. His left eye looked like the bloodthirsty slitted eye of a fox. His left hand that bore inch long claws was already forming a rasengan, a technique he thought to be nearly extinct. And then the creature spoke.

"**_Oi, Itachi_**." The voice was almost an echo of itself. The first sound coming through much like the boy's original voice, but it had a guttural, scraping sound following it What could have caused such a transformation?

Kisame was already running. He had dropped the fresh rabbit meat he had just obtained in favor of returning to Itachi's side. The chakra he had just felt left a bad taste in his mouth. It was a foul chakra. He didn't like where this was going, though Itachi should be able to handle himself.

"Kyuubi I assume." Itachi spoke calmly. He had stood beside the fire he had previously been sitting by.

"_**See, that's what happens when you 'assume.' You make an ass out of you and me." **_Naruto was standing in a half slouch, preferring to take on the feral characteristics of the fox as shown in his stance.

"What were you planning to do once you freed yourself I wonder? Surely you did not believe that even in such an ugly form that you could take down me." His face showed no expression.

"_**Does a human actually plan out stamping down insects?" **_At this the half Naruto/ half Kyuubi smirked.

"Insolent kid. I will show you true power."

Naruto knew what was coming next. As he knew, Kyuubi knew as well. They were still very much getting accustomed to this new form. Still it seemed that they could think together as one and thus, they could plan out strategies together, hypothesize about the battle and act accordingly in the same mind, despite the fact that it was two minds acting.

To be honest though, Kyuubi didn't truly care about such things. He was just content to be able to smell the air and see the moonlight once again. Yet, he was not content. Before him stood an enemy of both himself and the boy. Actually he was more so his container's enemy, but Kyuubi rarely turned down a chance to spill blood. He still owed him for the last time they fought. This brought an idea to the sly fox's mind. Naruto immediately understood and decided to comply as it may be the only way for them to defeat the mad Uchiha.

Naruto stood his ground as Itachi activated his mangeyou sharingan once again today. This time however, Naruto shut his left eye, the red fox eye. Looking at Itachi through only his cerulean blue eye, Naruto was transported to the world that only Itachi controlled through use of the Tsukuyomi.

_Naruto found himself alone in a playground. The adults and children were throwing stones at him. He was curled up in the fetal position, attempting to get away. Through his fingers that were covering his face, Naruto was able to see the faces of the people in the angry crowd. _

_Sasuke._

_Sakura._

_Kakashi-sensei._

_Shiro-sensei._

_Iruka._

_Sandaime._

_Then he saw a face he didn't expect to see. Tenten was standing off to the side crying. The people stopped throwing stones and watched the actions of the young girl. She ran into the circle, approaching slowly once she got closer to Naruto. He could not see her expression very well, as she was crying into her hands. He then saw her produce that kunai that he had only ever seen with her. _

"_You… you monster! I want my parents back! I want them back! Why can't I have them? You… bakemono!"_

_She then ran at him with a wild gleam in her eyes. She was wielding the kunai with malice and hate._

_Suddenly a large imposing figure stood over the boy protectively. He slapped the girl with the back of his hand to dissuade her from attacking. She flew back into the crowd of people with the force of the hit. Naruto looked up into the eyes of his savior. It was only then that he recognized the red slitted eyes._

同时。。。

Shiro was worried.

Tenten had not spoken again since he told her about Naruto's disappearance. She had been let out of the hospital earlier that day and had simply been wandering around the village. Shiro had wanted to walk after her and tell her that it would all be alright, but Shizune had stopped him. Her advice was good though hard to swallow for Shiro.

Tenten needed some time to herself.

Temari had not gotten this memo though. She had found the young weapons mistress in the same area she had found her the first time. It was almost like déjà vu for the girl. Tenten was sitting once again on the same sand dune, a distant look in her eyes. Temari had heard from her red-headed brother what had happened. She felt sorry for the girl, but then again, she knew that you couldn't just sit around and mope about such a thing.

"Oi, mind if I sit down?"

Tenten did not even attempt to answer. She was in her own world at the moment.

"Hey girl, Its not polite to ignore people ya know."

Still, Tenten remained motionless.

"Ne, Tenten, I was wondering…"

"I'll never see him again will I?" Tenten finally spoke up, interrupting Temari. This question made the other girl let out a miserable sigh as she plopped down to sit beside the Konoha kunoichi.

"You will see him again," Temari said simply. Tenten was now crying even harder with her openly admitting her fear.

"No, he's gone and there was nothing I could do about it. I… I…"

Temari was not used to dealing with crying girls. She was a girl herself admittedly, but having grown up with her two brothers and all other men basically avoiding her out of sheer fear of Gaara, she had grown up a tomboy. The situation she found herself in now was beyond her. So, she did what seemed natural to her.

The slap reverberated as Tenten stared back unbelieving at Temari. Tenten reached up to her now sore cheek as the sand girl began to talk.

"My brother used to threaten Kankurou and me all the time. No one ever could get through to Gaara. He was a monster, even I can admit that. We weren't even allowed to grow up with him due to the fear of what he may have done to us. My mother died before I can even remember and my father is dead now too. I never grew up with a family."

"And then, Gaara got into that fight with Naruto. After Naruto beat him, well, things have never been the same."

"What fight?" Tenten was clearly confused.

"At the Chuunin exams of course. When the war started, Gaara went off into the woods and Naruto followed him and defeated him, even in his demonic form."

"Demonic form?"

Temari let out another sigh. "You don't know anything do you? Yes, Gaara, my brother and the Kazekage, had the one-tailed demon Shukaku sealed in him at birth. He has been incredibly unstable throughout much of his life, but after he fought and talked with your Naruto (this comment made Tenten blush) he has been completely different. I have a family now."

"So Gaara-san has a demon like Naruto?" Tenten gaped as she came to this realization.

"Yes, and if it weren't for Naruto I would never have my little brother back."

"Demo, demo, Naruto, he's…" Tenten was ready to break down again.

"Don't you understand? Naruto couldn't be gone. He is too strong for that. There is no way that he won't come back to you. Stop doubting him and begin believing in him"

Tenten looked up hopefully at Temari. "Are you sure, I mean, it's the Atkatsuki and…"

"I'm positive. So instead of sniffling here like some broken-hearted school girl, lets go talk to Gaara and see what we can do to help Naruto, ne?

Tenten pulled her legs ups to her chest. She wasn't sure about all that Temari had just told her, but she wanted to believe her. Naruto was strong, she had seen it herself. He did not know how to give up. But would he really be able to make it back to her? If not, she decided, then she would have to go get him herself.

Tenten nodded her head at Temari as they stood and walked back towards the Kazekage's tower.

同时。。。

_Naruto looked up at his savior. The Kyuubi looked back at him in his protective stance. Naruto wanted to shout at him for hurting Tenten, but the fox spoke first._

"_Boy, this is an illusion. Stay calm, we are fighting this one together remember. Do not let his tricks fool you."_

_Naruto's mind went into reverse. He remembered that this was all part of their quickly hashed together plan. Now they just had to find their attacker. It was easier than they had imagined._

_Kyuubi's arm extended past the crowd of familiar faces and gripped one neck. He then pulled his captive into the circle where Naruto was slowly standing. The rocks thrown at him may not have been real, but they had hurt nonetheless in his mind. Naruto then was able to see who Kyuubi had in his clutches._

"_Itachi."_

"_Impossible. How can this be?" Itachi was attempting to keep his emotionless face, but it was clear that this situation startled him greatly._

"_It doesn't look impossible to me," Kyuubi responded. "You see, when you hypnotized this kit here, you missed out on the fact that we have two different minds. And as powerful as you believe yourself to be, you cannot occupy two places at the same time. Now, how does seventy-two hours of torture sound like to you?"_

_Itachi tried to cancel the technique, but Kyuubi interfered every time. In this way his own maneuver was used against him. Stuck in another's mind with yet another persona occupying it, he was held captive and was forced to experience his worst nightmares over and over again until finally he was released. _

_Coughing up blood and breathing heavily, Itachi looked once more at the fox. He stood proudly, towering over the blonde who also stood fearlessly by this demon. Itachi's last thought before losing consciousness was simply this: _

"_Impossible."_

…

Kisame entered the clearing only to see his partner fall onto his face. Kisame looked back and forth at his fallen comrade and at the young boy that had apparently caused this. He was no fool, if Itachi could not defeat this opponent, he stood no chance. He moved as quickly as he could in an attempt to grab the Uchiha and make a quick escape, but Naruto was in front of him before he could counter.

"_**Running away are we?"**_

"Kyuubi." Kisame had fought the fox in the boy's body already and recognized the guttural voice.

"_**Wrong again. We are not just Kyuubi."**_

"That's impossible…"

"_**Shut it shark face." **_Kyuubi had to admit that he liked this nickname that the kit had come up with. Just looking at the shark faced man made him hungry. The fury and blood thirst raged in the fox, but being in equal control Naruto brought it down. In their minds they quickly discussed what had to be done.

'_We must kill this one and the Uchiha.' _

'_No,' Naruto responded. 'I cannot kill Itachi, that is Sasuke's job.'_

'_You are still thinking about that bastard?' The Kyuubi snarled. 'Thanks to him and your mercy he almost killed us once. You wish to forgive him and let his brother live?'_

_Naruto did not directly answer the fox's questions. _

'_We must leave the both of them alive.'_

'_There is no reason the fish must live. Let me kill him at least.'_

'_No,' Naruto was adamant. 'We will send him back with a warning to the rest of the Atkatsuki.'_

_Kyuubi would have kept fighting, but instead relented. Without his ability to overpower the boy's will, there was little he could do anyway. He hated feeling powerless like this, but it was a compromise for the both of them. _

'_Fine,' Kyuubi grunted. 'But next time we see them we kill them, agreed?'_

_Naruto also relented. 'Fine.'_

'_Eh, and the shark face is hardly worth killing anyway,' Kyuubi sighed. 'But he does look tasty.'_

"_**Kisame." **_

The blue skinned Atkatsuki member looked at the fox/boy once again. The mismatched eyes that spoke of revenge sent a shiver down his spine.

"We will let you live… for now. You tell the rest of your pathetic group of what you have seen here. And if that Uchiha dares to hurt anyone precious to me again I swear that we will personally rip every appendage of yours off. Do you understand?"

Kisame shuddered. He stood in place, watching the strange formation of human and fox as they just disappeared from sight. He then mechanically picked up his partner and began walking off. His body was running off of pure adrenaline. Rarely had he cowered in front of any foe, but this had been one of those times. He was ashamed for it, but there was nothing else to it. Who would capture the nine-tailed fox now that he willingly fights with his vessel?

同时。。。

Shiro caught sight of Tenten and Temari-san approaching. He was currently in the Kazekage's office, discussing their options. Gaara had felt the Kyuubi's chakra earlier in the day through the pendant that he had given Naruto. They each took this as a good sign. Surely, the Atkatsuki would not be attempting to access the Kyuubi on their own, so that must have meant that Naruto had accessed the fox in order to free himself.

"How long did you feel the chakra?" Shiro asked Gaara as the two aforementioned girls entered the office.

"I only jut now lost its presence. I have felt it for much of the day. I believe that Naruto is close to the village even as we speak."

"Naruto is?" Tenten ran up to the Kazekage. She grabbed onto his shirt and looked him in the eyes. "Is he alright?"

Gaara was not accustomed to such close contact with anybody other than his siblings and even that was rare. The sand began to defensively come up around him, but he stopped it, knowing that this girl not only meant him no harm, but was Uzumaki's closest friend.

"I do not know."

Tenten looked down at the ground upon hearing this answer. She had hoped, really hoped, that he knew.

"I do know however, that he has been accessing the Kyuubi's chakra throughout the day. Not only that, but he has been steadily making his way back towards the village. However, I cannot feel the demonic chakra any longer so I no longer know where he might be."

Tenten brought her hands up to her face as she began to cry again. Gaara did not know what to do with a crying girl, but his sister came to the rescue. She held the girl to her own shoulder, shrugging at Gaara as she drug the sobbing girl back to one of the guest chairs in the office. Gaara looked back at Shiro.

"We must go now. I have a feeling that…"

He was interrupted by the sounds of yelling shinobi outside. All of a sudden his office doors were swung open violently. All of the occupants in the room, even Tenten, looked up to see what was going on. Gaara already had his sand swirling around the two girls in the room as a defense. The sand dropped back to the floor when he recognized the face of the intruder.

His clothes were shredded and covered with spots of dried blood. His hair was matted and dripping with sweat. You could see where the seat had dried and left white patches of salt on the remaining portions of his black undershirt. He was slouched over, panting for breath, but looked up to catch the eyes of all those in the room. His gaze stopped on one particular person as she immediately recognized him.

Tenten gasped.

"Naruto!"


	11. 十一

-1I'm going to be completely honest here. I am not happy with the way this chapter came out. I hate the lack of scene changes and action. Yet, I had to get this out of the way. There were too many things I was keeping a secret that had to be let out. Trust me, there are still some good secrets and plot twists, so don't you worry about that.

In other news I gave Tenten a surname, how about that? Ichikawa literally translates to "first river." I will make use of the meaning of the name at a later point. Wondering where I got it from? Well, it has to do with the original legend from which Jiraiya and Tsunade come from. Its complicated, but it was as good as any other name. Yes, its a weak reason, but I can't just pull a name out of my… ahem.

After this the plot continues so to speak. More training, fighting and an unexpected mission coming soon!

Disclaimer: If you think I own Naruto you are a sad fool indeed. But I am sadder because alas, you are correct. Naruto and all characters, minus the few I create, are the sole property of the revered Kishimoto.

**Chapter Eleven:**

Tenten was at Naruto's side in an instant. In the back of her mind there was a voice telling her to shy away from the boy, that he was dangerous, but she pushed this thought aside, knowing that it was definitely not true. She was simply still dealing with the effects of the Tsukuyomi.

It was a good thing that Tenten had jumped out of her chair to run at Naruto, for at that exact instant he came tumbling down. As soon as he saw that Tenten was alive and well, he told himself that he could stop. Finally after a full day of running at full charge through the desert and through small shrubs with thorns that had torn his clothes to shreds, Naruto finally could stop.

Tenten caught Naruto before he could hit the ground. She was kneeling down holding his head in her lap, stroking his hair when Gaara and the rest of those present interrupted her.

"Tenten, let's get him to the hospital alright?" Temari was very calm as she said this. Although Naruto had the Kyuubi's chakra to help him, he looked exhausted, which was not normal for Naruto. Gaara agreed as he stood by his sister, looking down and the two Leaf ninja.

Shiro stepped up and tried to take Naruto out of Tenten's grip. At first she resisted, but after seeing the look in Shiro's eyes she understood that he only meant to help. So she followed Shiro, never letting go of Naruto's hand as Shiro carried the boy to the hospital.

…

She had been sitting at Naruto's bedside for two days now. Shiro had tried to get her to go out to eat with him a few times, but she insisted that Naruto needed her to stay there with him. Food was brought to her by the hospital staff whenever they checked up on the boy. She even slept in that same chair each night as she waited for Naruto to wake up.

During these quiet days she had time to reflect on all that had happened since she left Konoha. Her old team, Lee, Neji and Gai-sensei… it seemed like years had passed since she had seen any of them. Their group was by far one of the strangest, made so by Lee and Gai's antics day after day. One would think that Neji would bring some relief to the situation, but all he ever did was grunt at their stupidity and refuse to have anything to do with them outside of missions and training. True he had become a bit more open after the Chunnin Exams, but Tenten had not been around long enough to really see that side of him.

She wondered what would have happened is she had not gone on this mission. Where would she be right now? Would she still be running after the number one rookie in her class? True, many girls admired him for his skills, not to mention his good looks, but would anything have truly happened between them?

She had fallen asleep so many nights to the thoughts of a happy life with Neji. She dreamed about the day that he would drop the silent act and finally come clean with his feelings to her. It would be a wonderful day, she thought. He would get on one knee, flowers in one hand, the other hand holding her own as he admitted his love for her. Then on missions they would be inseparable. He would always look out for her and she would prove that she was tough as well. They would have made a great couple.

Yeah right.

Tenten looked at the still form of the blond lying in front of her. She swept a few of his golden locks that had fallen into his face without his forehead protector to keep them out of his eyes. It had been six months since that fateful day that they left Konoha. He had not had his hair cut once since then and it was getting a bit longer. Not so long that he could tie it in a ponytail though. Tenten would not have allowed that. She laughed to herself at that thought. Still, his face and the way his hair hung in his face reminded her of someone. She just couldn't quite place her finger on it.

Tenten sighed.

She knew deep, deep down that Neji would have never gotten down on one knee for her. He was too proud for that. Not to mention, but he probably never felt the same way for her as she had felt for him. Had? Did she say 'had'? 'Yes,' she pondered, 'we would have never worked and now I don't think I would have wanted it anyway. '

Tenten's mind was wandering yet again. She had been there when the nurses had cut the shirt off of the boy. She wasn't trying to watch, but it had just happened. At that time she had seen something that she had never noticed before. There was a massive scar in Naruto's chest, right above his heart. It scared her to think what could have made that. And why had she not seen it the many times he had his shirt off while they were swimming? Had he also been hiding something from her as she had been hiding from him?

She absentmindedly rubbed the scar that ran along her chest. Yes, at first it had alarmed her to discover that the same creature that did this to her at such a young age resided in Naruto, but she had reminded herself time and time again that though the Kyuubi lived in Naruto, Naruto was still not the Kyuubi. It would be stupid to even think that way, she figured. Naruto was far too kind and loving to hold that against him, especially, when she finally thought about it, it was done against his will.

His cute face was catching the last few rays of sunshine outside as they filtered through the windows. It illuminated his blonde hair and reminded her of how alive he could be. He seemed to spread that life and love of life to all of those around him as well. She just loved how he could bring a smile to her face no matter the circumstance. And how he would defend her at all costs. She loved his bright smile that he only showed to her. Not the stupid smile that he plastered on his face all the time to throw the world off from his true feelings, but the smile that she had seen when he was truly content with life. She may have only seen that smile a few scarce times, but she was determined to see it so many more times. She loved… she loved…

Tenten brought a hand to her mouth as she gasped involuntarily.

Her eyes quickly moved from surprise to affection as she once again used her right hand to cup Naruto's cheek. Using her thumb she gently rubbed the side of his face while staring down at him, so desperately wishing that he would wake up.

And then, he did.

It was subtle at first, so much so that Tenten did not realize it. Naruto's eyes began to flutter as he pressed his face farther against the warmth of Tenten's hand. She gasped yet again as she saw Naruto's eyes open once again to the world, squinting as he adjusted to the light in the room. She resisted the urge to throw herself on him and never let go. She didn't want to have to worry this much ever again. Instead she took a much more normal approach from her point of view.

Naruto caught Tenten's gaze. Naruto was a little dazed, but one sweep of his eyes around the room confirmed that he was indeed in a hospital once again. He spent so much time in these places, he thought. The first thing that came out of Naruto's mind undoubtedly is what broke the mood in the room.

"Man, I'm hungry. Ne, Tenten-chan, do you have any ramen?"

Tenten's eyes went from caring to violent in a split second. Curling her fingers into a fist, she hit Naruto on the top of the head with all of the vent up frustration she had been experiencing.

"You baka!"

"Itai! Ten-chan what was that for? You shouldn't hurt a patient!"

"Well, you're already in the hospital so if I beat you, they can treat you right here."

Tenten then got an evil glint in her eyes as Naruto cowered in her wake. Just when he was sure that he was about to receive a beating that would rival Tsunade-oba-chan's he felt arms encircle him. Tenten was now on top of his bed, hugging Naruto with all of her strength. Granted this is not what Naruto had expected. Nor had he ever had a girl his age hug him. He wasn't sure what to do, so he kept his arms at his sides, where they had been previously. When Tenten didn't immediately release him, he figured it would be alright and encircled his own arms around the girl.

"Welcome back Naruto." Tenten whispered into his ear.

"Tenten, I…"

"Well guys, I had no idea. So when is the wedding?"

Naruto and Tenten's heads both shot in the direction of the voices as they jumped away from one another.. There in the doorway stood Team 8: Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji. It had been Ino that had broken their reunion.

"Chouji? Shikamaru? What are you guys doing here? Are we back in Konoha?" Naruto peered over Tenten's shoulder to get a glance out the window. Before he could see the miles of sand once again, Ino interrupted.

"Konoha? Baka, we're in Suna." Shifting her eyes over to Tenten who was still sitting on Naruto's bed, Ino said in a casual voice, "Well, too bad for Big Forehead. I was rooting for you two." She finished as she glanced back over to Naruto.

His eyes lit up in understanding. His face turned a bright shade of pink. Before he could answer though another figure appeared in the already full doorway.

"Shiro-sensei?" The two ninja on the bed looked up in questioning.

The newcomer turned his head to Team 8. "I need to speak to my students alone." Then looking at Ino he concluded, "Thank you again for your assistance. I am not sure what I… we would have done without you."

Ino smiled brightly. "Sure thing! But these boys were no help at all! Bye Tenten, Naruto!"

The three left to the grumbling of one lazy boy muttering under his breath, "Troublesome women."

Shiro looked at his two students. "Now, we need to talk."

_(flashback)_

_A lone figure was sitting on the edge of the a tall building within the village. The sun was rising ever so slowly off in the distance. Sounds filled the still cool air as the village roared to life, attempting to get as many things done before the sun blazed harshly upon them. He stared at people as they bustled about: families, couples, children, he watched them all, trying to understand what he needed to do. His silent reverie was interrupted as the sound of footsteps hit the roof directly beside him._

"_Ohayo Shiro-kun!" _

_Shiro sighed, "Must you call me that Shizune?"_

"_Oh? And why are you so grumpy this morning?" She sat down softly beside him, kicking her feet out over the edge of the roof. _

"_Nothing."_

_She laughed. "And by nothing you mean everything." _

_Shiro took in a deep breath and sighed once more._

"_They've grown since they left the village you know. Especially Naruto. He's almost as tall as me now."_

_Shiro peered over at her with squinted eyes. "That's not saying much now is it?"_

_Full of theatrics Shizune gasped and proclaimed, "Oh Shiro-kun. You are soooo mean!" Her face dropped, as did her voice as she plowed on though._

"_They deserve to know… about their past. And yours Shiro-kun."_

_He grimaced at the last part, but nodded his head in understanding. "I know."_

_Changing the subject and her mood once more, Shizune leaned against Shiro's shoulder. He knew better than to resist and merely sat with her, watching the sun rise. The people continued to move about below them, but time stopped if just for a moment for the two road weary shinobi._

_(end flashback)_

Shiro grabbed the seat that Tenten was obviously no longer using. Pulling it to the foot of the bed, he collapsed onto it, staring at the other two.

"How are you feeling Naruto?"

A big smile adorned the boy's face as he practically screamed, "Great!" He threw his hands into the air to emphasize his point, but as soon as he did, he felt a pulled muscle in his lower back. He grimaced as he rubbed the sore spot. "Well, better at least," he said, rubbing the back of his head with his other head as he grinned sheepishly.

Shiro cut to the chase right away.

"How did you escape?"

Naruto's face showed apprehension as he glanced over at Tenten.

"Kyuubi helped," he merely stated.

"Fine, we will talk about this later. Right now there is something more important." Shiro went silent after stating this, not knowing exactly where to start. Maybe the question was not where to start, but who to start with. Obviously his mind had wandered for too long when Naruto interjected quite loudly.

"Well?" He had his arms crossed. Next to him Tenten was waiting a little more patiently.

"I guess I will start with myself then."

The two teens were both silent now. They had spent many days of their training gossiping about their weird sensei, make conjectures about what he may have been like before they met him. It had been a good way to speed up the days, but they still knew very little about him. Though they both had agreed that he had to dye his hair. Those colors were just not natural.

Shiro breathed in deeply, bracing himself for the revelation that these two were about to receive. Doubtless they would all three walk out of this room as different people.

"First… I will speak and you will listen. No interrupting, no questions, no arguments. You can ask me whatever you wish after I am through. Do you two understand?"

His two students furtively nodded their heads in unison.

"Ok, This story I am about to tell begins thirteen years ago on October 10."

Hearing this Naruto grimaced. Tenten felt him tighten up, but she said nothing as she once again focused on her sensei. The date did sound somewhat familiar to her.

"I had just become a jounin a few days prior to this date. I was thirteen at the time (and very naïve, he added to himself) and had been called to the Hokage Tower to brief my team. We had been receiving reports the entire week about the giant nine-tailed fox tearing up the countryside. The lasted report had stated that he was on his way toward Konoha."

Naruto hung his head. He hated this story. Seeing his reaction, Tenten placed her hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze. She wasn't sure exactly why she had done it, but Naruto smiling at her was worth it nonetheless.

"Konoha was a mess that day. Villagers did not know where to go and some people refused to leave their houses. It was chaos and right in the middle of it all, Kyuubi showed up. All of the jounin attacked in an attempt to defend the village. Looking back, it was a meaningless slaughter. Not until Yondaime showed up did we even slow the bastard down."

Shiro's let a small smile waver across his otherwise serious face.

"I was friends with the Yondaime. I was able to talk with him because Kakashi, Naruto's former sensei, and I were friends. After our teams began to train together more and more, Yondaime took a liking to me and treated me like a son. My parents had died years before in the line of duty, so he looked out for me when my nii-san couldn't. He was a funny guy, always creating stupid jutsus."

Shiro laughed to himself.

"He even created one that would keep his ramen warm.. Just in case."

"The Yondaime liked ramen?!" Naruto blurted out.

"Yes," he chuckled but then his face turned serious once again. "No more interruptions, ok?"

"Hai," Naruto gave a mock salute. Despite the retelling of the Kyuubi story, he was in high spirits after hearing this fascinating news about the fourth Hokage. Speaking of which, he would have to figure out this jutsu. It could come in very handy.

"As I was saying, the village was in an uproar and people were dying left and right. Yondaime summoned Gamabunta and was able to match up against the fox. However, not even the frog's strength and his own could match up to the demon's bloodlust and power. He had a back up plan though."

Shifting his eyes, Shiro stared sorrowfully at Naruto.

"The Yondaime had perfected a jutsu that allowed for a demon to be sealed into a human being. It had a few problems though, such as the fact that the human had to be an infant. Otherwise, the body's chakra system would reject the demon's chakra and the seal would be ineffective. A baby had to be used so that its body could grow and become resilient to the demonic chakra. Another side effect was the cost of the user's life."

Shiro looked grim at this point.

"Before the newborn could be brought forth though, the fox broke through the walls of Konoha. After a series of more unfortunate events, Kyuubi attacked and demolished a small weapons shop that was located on the outskirts of the village. I left the battle to look for survivors as quickly as possible, but only found a baby girl," his eyes drifted over to Tenten. She could see his eyes glassing over with unspent tears. "I picked her up and ran, my two team members alongside me. The Kyuubi attacked once more though, wounding myself, and killing my two friends."

Tenten was shocked. She had heard bits and pieces of what had happened , but she had never heard it all from an eyewitness. Then it hit her, Shiro, her sensei, was the reason she was alive today. She looked up at him and decided to ignore his command to keep quiet until he finished.

"Why? Why did you come and save me?"

Shiro could not avoid this any longer. It was time for the truth.

"It is true that many other places within the walls of Konoha were destroyed that fateful day. However, that shop was important. You see," Shiro paused and took a deep breath. "It was my nii-san's."

He then went silent and waited for Tenten to roll this information around in her head. Her face took on a look of puzzlement, then shock, and finally understanding. Tenten rose slowly from the bed. Her feet felt unsteady before her as she took the few steps over to where Shiro was sitting. He looked a little nervous, as if he didn't know whether to expect a hug or a slap. He was anticipating the latter. So naturally, it was with great surprise that Tenten wrapped him into a rather awkward hug, seeing as he was sitting down.

Naruto was still sitting on the bed when it finally hit him. His stuttering breath broke the silence.

"Ano, so Tenten is your… niece?"

Shiro shook his head. He was quite content to hold Tenten in his arms. He would have to tell her soon why he had abandoned her, but before he could Naruto interrupted the moment again.

"So," he slumped his head. "The baka fox killed your family too sensei." Sometimes having the fox inside of him was worse than other times. This was one of those times. He had grown used to the spite shown to him by many of the villagers, but what he could not stand was finding out that Kyuubi had killed more of his friend's family. It was a burden he hated to carry. Fortunately it seemed that he would not have to carry it alone.

Tenten moved slowly from Shiro and back to Naruto. He needed the support more than anyone right now. She laced her fingers within his own and looked into his eyes.

"Its not your fault you know."

"I know."

"No, Naruto, you don't. Its not your fault."

"I'm fine," he sniffed.

"Its not your fault," Tenten persisted. Shiro stayed in the shadows for the time being.

"Damnit Tenten, stop it!" He tried to pull away, to recoil away and relish in his self-pity, but she would not allow it. She cupped his cheek with her free hand and pulled him back into her gaze.

"Its not your fault Naruto-kun."

"Stop it! I know damnit! Stop it now!"

"Naruto, its not your fault."

Now it was the boy's turn to break down and cry. Tenten's shoulder became the new residence for his tear soaked face and she held him like that until he finally did calm down. It took awhile, but Naruto hated crying. He finally pulled back from her, whispering a quiet 'Arigato' as he returned her gaze…

"Ahem!"

The two quickly blushed as they turned around to face the forgotten occupant.

"Now what did I say about interruptions?" His face stern at first, but he let the façade down and chuckled to himself. "I do not blame you either Naruto. But right now it is pertinent that I finish this story."

"One quick question," Tenten raised her hand in the air like a little girl asking a question. "Do I… we have any other family left?" Her face was hopeful as she looked at Shiro.

"Yes, but before I tell you who, wouldn't you like to hear a little more about our heritage?"

She quickly nodded her head, the excitement almost too much for her to stand.

"First off, let me say that we were a very powerful clan in our own rights before the coming of the Kyuubi. No, we do not have a blood limit or anything like that, but we have always been very proficient at taijutsu and weapons training. So much so that it some of our family members are scary."

"You may have heard of one of them…"

Naruto and Tenten were on the edge of the bed waiting as Shiro baited them.

"Shodai Hokage."

Naruto's jaw dropped.

"He was your father's father's father. Making him your great grandfather. He specialized in Mokuton, wood techniques. He was one of the few in our family that did not specialize in taijutsu, but he more than made up for it, don't you think?"

Tenten's mind could not handle all of this information. Shiro-sensei was actually her long lost uncle; She had some other family left alive somewhere, Shiro still had not confirmed where though; she was a descendant of the First Hokage. Not to mention Naruto's secret that he had told her only days before. It was all too much to take in. Finally something in her mind snapped. An answer to a lifelong question was within her reach if only she could remember…

"Naruto, what was the First Hokage's name?" Tenten was frantic as she asked this, shaking his shoulders to emphasize the point.

"Ano, ummm…."

Bopping him on the head, Tenten muttered a quick "Baka" as Shiro's voice stopped the wheels in her mind from turning.

"Ichikawa."

Tenten breath caught in her chest.

"My real name is not Shiro Doragon, it is Ichikawa Shiro. As is your Ichikawa Tenten."

"My name…"

Naruto had always wondered about her last her name. He had thought it strange that she didn't have a family name, but it all made sense now. Reviewing everything in his mind, something caught his attention.

"So, if she is the First's great granddaughter, wouldn't that make her like a princess or something?"

Tenten turned back to Naruto, her face a nice crimson as she did so. Naruto elbowed her in the side.

"Ne, Tenten-hime?" Shiro even laughed at how red the girl had turned. Personally, she couldn't believe that Naruto had just called her that, but admittedly she liked it. 'Tenten-hime,' she could get used to that. Hime… Hime… that sounded familiar, like someone else she knew was called that. WAIT A MINUTE!

Tenten turned her ridiculously huge eyes onto Shiro. At this point he knew that she had connected all the dots.

"I'M RELATED TO TSUNADE-SAMA?"

"NANI?!" Naruto joined in chorus.

Shiro simply grunted as he nodded his head. "She is my cousin, so that would sorta make her your aunt I guess."

"Baa-chan is your aunt?" Naruto burst out laughing at this. He held his side quickly though, his muscles were still sore from the day before.

"Tsunade… nee-chan?" Tenten tried out the words. They sounded funny coming off of her tongue, but she liked it.

Shiro laughed at this

"She would probably love you if you called her that. She is always trying to show off to the world how young she looks and all," Shiro waved with his hand in a dismissing manner. Putting his hands on his knees, Shiro looked more serious than before.

"She doesn't know about you yet. If you would rather me tell her I can, but I suspect she would kill me so… Tenten, I know that this is a lot to take in. And there is still much I have not explained to you and may never be able to tell you..."

At this Tenten looked very sad. From the bottom of her heart she wanted to ask her sensei… no, her family, why he had left all those years before.

"Yet right now, there is something more important to discuss. I have talked about myself and Tenten, but I have yet to tell what I know about Naruto here."

Naruto looked up now, curious as to what this man could know about him that he had not told beforehand.

"Naruto, you have confronted the Atkatsuki before, have you not?"

"Hai."

And Jiraiya told you while you were still in the hospital that they would not be coming after you for several more years, am I correct?"

"Yeah, but how did you know that?"

"That is not important. What is important is why they are coming after you so soon. Do you have any reason why?"

Naruto looked from Shiro to Tenten and back again to his questioner. Was this some sort of trick question? How should he know why those wackos would come after him. So, the best answer he could muster was a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"Naruto, what if I told you that the reason is that they are afraid?" Shiro looked deathly serious now.

"Afraid? Why would they be afraid now? Didn't they always know about the Kyuubi?"

Shiro shook his head at this.

"They are not afraid of the Kyuubi. They are afraid of you, or more specifically what you may become."

"What I may… become?" Naruto glanced at Tenten to see if she was getting any of this, but she looked just as confused.

"They have discovered a secret so guarded, that you were not allowed to know this even after knowing about the Kyuubi."

"Nani? Nani?"

"They know who your father was and they are terrified that you will become like him."

"My father?! They know who my father is?"

Tenten was silent throughout this exchange. There seemed to be many pieces of the puzzle that did not seem to quite fit right. Yet, she could not shake the thought that Naruto, as he looked now, reminded her of someone. Or maybe it reminded her of a picture of someone.

Tenten groaned outloud. This was too much for her. The person's name was right on the tip of her tongue, but she just could not place it.

"Was, Naruto. Your father is dead, along with the rest of your clan I am sorry to say."

Normally hearing such things would have really depressed Naruto. He hated remembering that he was not only an orphan, but he did not even know who any of his family was. Yet here, right in front of him, was the answer.

"You… you knew him?" His voice held a restrained hopefulness within it.

"Yes, he was a good man. A good shinobi. A good…"

Tenten's face lost all of its color. She remembered who he looked like.

"Hokage."


End file.
